Ookami to Kitsune no Monogatari
by Shirohane
Summary: During the time of great war between humans and demons, Sasuke captures a ninetailed fox and enslaves him. However, when the demon offers him friendship and affection, Sasuke finds himself falling in love with his captive. Sasuke x Naruto.
1. Encounter

In the ancient times, there existed a demon fox with nine tails of fiery fire. One swipe of its tail was enough to crumble mountains, its paws large enough to create lakes upon its wake. It had the eyes of blood, cruel teeth of razor, craws that could cut a person in half with a mere swipe. Nine of the strongest magicians stood up against this monstrosity—and only one lived. Taking the lives of eight men of a humble mountain village, the fox finally expired, cursing all humans with its dying breath. And it left behind it a kit, a tiny helpless kit that was raised by hands of humans. And this kit was destined to be the bridge between the humans and demons, for this kit—

"Ha. What a bunch of bullshit."

Crystalline blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. A young boy who couldn't be older than a late teenager rubbed his nose with his knuckles, his left hand in a loose fist. A cocky smirk graced his lips, his dimples marring whisker-like scars upon his cheeks and making the scars crooked. He pulled his blond bangs out of his eyes, his smirk deepening.

"Please. Ancient times? Destiny? Don't give me that bunch of boring crap. We aren't living in the past anymore, you know. What's important is right here, right now." The boy turned around and looked back, tilting his head slightly. His canines slightly protruded from his lips as he locked his fingers together behind his back. "My life, you know—it has nothing to do with my past. I'm more interested in creating the history than reading about all the old shit."

The boy shifted the goggles sitting on top of his head, adjusting the dark blue rubber to secure around his head. He completely turned around, leaving behind him a flash of smile that showed his sharp canines.

"Well then. Let's go."

* * *

Dai 1 Wa: Fight, Run, Protect!: -The Encounter of Young Lord and Fox Kit-

* * *

The dimly lit forest stretched out endlessly. The air was humid and warm. The sunlight, which failed to filter past all the thick green foliages of the top canopy, made everything glow bright green. Years of fallen leaves made the forest floor thick with fertile soil, mingled with leaves that were either rotten or were in the process of rotting. There was certain serenity about this forest, despite inhabitants of the forest that darted here and there at their will. And that serenity completely shattered when a golden streak charged through the forest floor, kicking up leaves in its desperate attempt to escape.

"Don't let it get away!" A deep voice commanded. Shower of arrows accompanied the command. A young boy with hair the color of midnight skies and eyes color of the deepest part of the sea lead the troops of what seemed to be soldiers. As his black stallion furiously galloped after the golden streak, the boy leaned forward, his arrow cocked on his bow, his eyes narrowed in concentration. His rather long bangs whipped around him, flashing bright blue here and there when the green light of the forest hit them just at the right angle. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing further as the wind rushed past him in sticky, humid breeze, and then the arrow sang out as it escaped the bow and flew towards its target.

There was a dull thud, followed by a sharp yelp. The golden blur tumbled, kicking up more leaves and soil before it stopped and lay on its side, panting heavily. The fox kit lifted its little head, its sharp blue eyes narrowed in hatred toward the humans. Its nine tails whirled around it, flashing in color of fire despite the lack of sunlight to illuminate the silken fur. The kit licked its chops, then bared its fangs as humans skidded to a stop nearby.

"Be cautious. Despite its young age, demons are capable of powerful magic," the boy who had managed to immobilize the fox kit gravely said. He frowned disapprovingly when the men continued to aim their weapons towards the kitten. "And please don't kill it unless commanded to do so, or the necessity arises. _Aniue_(honorable elder brother) shall be most displeased if you do anything reckless."

A man shifted in his horse, his eyes softened in pity for the fox kit unlike the others. "Is the wound fatal, Sasuke _Obousama_(young sir)?"

"I believe the arrow only hit the tender muscle of its back leg, Iruka-_dono_," the boy named Sasuke replied. He gracefully leapt off of his horse and walked towards the fallen kit, only pausing when the kit struggled to stand, all of its furs bristling and its little fangs bared. Sasuke slowly lowered his body and held out his hand towards the fox so that it would not be alarmed.

The fox trembled as the human approached, its tail swishing around it nervously. A growl started from the back of its throat as Sasuke's hand came nearer and nearer. Then the fox kit jumped forward, digging its little teeth into Sasuke's fingers. The men around Sasuke immediately tensed, picking up their weapons again. Sasuke flinched, but he turned around and gave a firm shake of his head to the men before turning his attention back to the fox. With his other hand, he gently patted the kit's head. The kit's hold on Sasuke's finger lessened, but it still suspiciously glared at the human in front of it.

"I give you my word that I shall not harm you," Sasuke softly said. He grasped the kit by the collar of its neck and pulled it away from his fingers, holding it snuggly in his arms before he slowly stood up. The kitten struggled, displeased mewls escaping from its throat. Iruka jumped down from his horse and rushed towards his young master.

Sasuke looked up when Iruka approached him. "Are you seriously wounded, Sasuke _Obousama_?" Iruka asked. Sasuke shook his head before he released his hold on the fox kit in his arms and showed the kit to his men. Gasps and surprised murmured rippled throughout the group.

"But that can't be." Iruka curiously looked at the kit, counting its tails to make sure that it was, indeed, the rare _kyuubi no youko _(nine-tailed demon fox). "I thought nine-tailed foxes have vanished from this world already."

Sasuke chuckled, turning away to mount on his horse. "The lack of evidence does not signify the evidence's lack. Just because we did not confirm with our own two eyes does not mean something does not exist." His face fell slightly. "…Do you think _aniue_ will kill this little one? It may be the last one left of its species."

Iruka's face also darkened. "Most probable, sir. After all…" He turned around with a sigh, climbing back on his ride. "Such dangerous demons are instantly killed."

Sasuke bit into his lower lip as he adjusted his grip on the leather rein, the baby fox sitting snuggly on his lap. He wordlessly turned his party around to head home.

* * *

Sasuke watched, fascinated, as the fox kit licked the milk away from his digits with flick of its little pink tongue. He dipped his finger in the bowl of milk he held on his lap and offered the finger to the kitten again, who lapped all the liquid off of his finger quite eagerly. The tongue was warm, wet, and surprisingly rough. It felt ticklish when the kit licked his finger, and Sasuke almost smiled when it attempted to clean its snout with its little paw.

Sasuke reached out his free hand to rest it among the soft furs of the fox. "What happened to your parents, little one?" The kitten ceased licking at its paw and stared up at Sasuke with its solemn blue eyes. Sasuke ruefully smiled. "Were they killed by bad humans like us? You're too young to be by yourself, aren't you?"

The kit turned its head away and continued to clean itself. Sasuke sighed, drumming his fingers against the bowl that contained the warm milk. "I'll do all I can to spare your life, little one. I'm so sick of all the blood that has been shed between the war between humans and demons…"

A man approached the cell that contained the demon fox, his head lowered respectively. "Sir, Uchiha-sama requires the presence of the demon. Will you be bringing the fox for the trial?"

"That I shall do," Sasuke replied. He set the bowl of milk down and gathered the fox into his arms and stood up. His silk robe made barely any sound as he turned around and headed to the courtyard, where various low-class demons and half-demons were gathered for the trial. Sasuke kept his face expressionless, despite his urge to vomit at the scent of heavy blood that hung in the air. Executions were usually taken place right after the trials. He slowly walked across the courtyard and approached the man sitting upon the dais, lowering his head to give a respective bow to the older man.

The man was beautiful, his dark hair and eyes glistening softly, his lithe body covered in fine robes of light blue. He held a striking resemblance to Sasuke, but his eyes were hard and cold, unlike Sasuke's soft ones. He tilted his head slightly. His long hair fell down to his shoulder, flowing smoothly like black waterfall before resting upon either side of his shoulders. "Sasuke," he acknowledged. Then: "Whatever is that entity in your arms?"

"The demon fox that I have reported to you right after I returned, _Aniue_," Sasuke said, his body immediately stiffening at the mere voice of his older brother. "He is yet young, and wounded. I believe it will calm it down if I hold it, instead of chaining it down."

The elder Uchiha regarded the golden-colored animal in Sasuke's arms, then dismissively gestured to the chair next to him. Sasuke bowed again and settled down to the indicated chair. He wordlessly watched as Itachi condemned most of the demon prisoners to be destroyed, while stripping powers and sanity of those few who remained. He felt sick. The scent of blood in the air thickened. Surprisingly the fox kitten in his arms silently watched as its fellow demons' blood freely flowed, staining the courtyard crimson and spreading the scent of death.

Then it was the fox's turn.

Itachi's lips curled up into a cruel smile as he scrutinized the kitten in his brother's arms. He softly snarled, "The nine-tailed fox is known as one of the most dangerous demons in existence. Luckily, this one is still a kit. We shall take its blood and marrow sample for future references, and then kill it."

Sasuke's hold on the fox tightened. "…_Aniue_. Will you grant me a boon?"

Itachi lifted his eyes to look at his younger brother. "State your wish, and then I shall consider it."

Sasuke lowered his eyes. The smallest of tremor ran through his body. He was terrified of this man. But yet, to watch as such a young, innocent life was destroyed… "Will you give this kitten to me? I shall crop its nails and teeth, and if it becomes dangerous, I shall kill it myself."

"Sasuke." Itachi's voice turned icy, his lips pursing with displeasure. "What is this? Compassion for a demon? Is this a weakness I see?"

"No, sir," Sasuke hurriedly said. The kit sensed his fear and gently nipped at his arm to reassure him. Sasuke took a deep breath. "It is a very rare specimen, _Aniue_. It might be of a valuable hostage later. And properly tamed—after all, it is only a foxling right now and it is already quite well behaved—it might help us sniff out more demons. A hunting dog, so to say."

Itachi was still not pleased, even though he seemed to consider Sasuke's words carefully. He closed his eyes. "It is too dangerous to keep as a pet, young one. Too intelligent, too powerful. Who knows what it may grow up as?"

Sasuke bowed his head. "I beg of you, Aniue. I did everything you have asked of me, did I not?"

Itachi sighed and stood up. "Do as you please."

Sasuke tried his best not to let his happiness be shown, but he couldn't help that his eyes lit up. He cradled the fox closer to his chest as he also stood up. "It is time for my lessons now. May I be excused?"

"Certainly." Itachi adjusted the folds of his robe, his eyes still cold and expressionless. "One foul deed from the vixen, Sasuke, and the kitten's fur shall grace the foot of my bed. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Sasuke replied. He rushed away from the courtyard before his brother changed his mind. Itachi watched his brother's retreating form before covering half of his face with his hand, heavily sighing.

"And yet you are too gentle, little one. You shall suffer if you do not loose that kindness soon…"

* * *

Sasuke strode back to his room after his lessons with Iruka. Iruka specialized in healing. While healing spells did not suit well with Sasuke, many spells started out the same way that basic healing spells did, and the botany of usable herbs and flowers was undoubtedly useful. Iruka had chastised him during the lesson for not paying much of attention today, but Sasuke couldn't quite help it. Itachi had actually allowed him to have ownership over something, sparing life of the fox kit.

'I wonder what I should name it,' Sasuke wondered to himself, his heart fluttering lightly. The thought of a live being greeting him at his room filled him with warm and fuzzy feelings that he was not quite familiar with. The day was closing to an end, and it was starting to get quite dark. Sasuke wondered if the kitten was asleep yet. He hoped that it wasn't; he still did not have the change to bandage up the wound he inflicted earlier this morning on its leg.

Sasuke gently eased the door to his room open, not wishing to wake the kit if it was indeed asleep. His eyes scanned the room for the kitten, but they rested instead on something entirely different.

"Wha-- Who are you?!" Sasuke snapped, stepping into his room. "State your name and business!"

The boy sitting on his bed lifted his lowered head, smirking. "Oh, hey. You came back."

"Don't give me 'Oh, hey'!" Sasuke reached into his chest for the scrolls used for magic spells. "What are you doing in my room?"

"You're the one who put me here," the boy said. He hopped off of the bed and stood up, stretching like a cat. He turned his head to look directly at Sasuke. Sasuke gasped as he looked into bright blue eyes of the other boy. The boy had the same eyes as the fox kitten. His smile was wide and cocky, yet incredibly honest and warm. The smile showed just the hint of tiny canines over his lower lip. Whisker-like scars made depression upon the soft, yet baby-like cheeks. His golden hair, the same color as the fur of his fox kitten, tumbled messily over his eyes. It was slightly kept in check by the goggles he wore, but the blue goggles crashed horribly with bright orange jumper suit that the boy wore.

"You're-- you're that fox kit," Sasuke choked out, his eyes widened in disbelief. "You are capable of transforming into a human being?"

"Sure am!" The boy said, grinning widely. "I didn't eat for few days, so I just didn't have the energy to. I can transform into just about anything, but I always mess up on the tail part if I'm not transforming into a human boy."

Sasuke stared at the boy as if he had grown another head. Then he finally asked, his voice low and quiet, "Do you have a name?"

The boy nodded, flashing his canines in a wide smile. "Naruto," he said. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

* * *

To Be Continued

[bows] Hello, this is Shirohane. Welcome back and/or nice to meet you! After horrible, bloody stories like _Ano Toki_ and _Chi_, it's finally fun, happy, and bouncy story among the lines of _Manazashi_ again! (Liar, _Manazashi_ was very angsty, too…) _Ookami to Kitsune no Monogatari_ means _The Tale of Fox and Wolf_, or the _Wolf and Fox Story_. This story is based on the prototype Naruto, the pilot chapter or chapter 0 of the Naruto graphic novel. I personally like the prototype Naruto better than the real Naruto, because… Foxes are cool. [laughs] I'm desperately in love with canines; my favorite animals are wolves and foxes come in close second.

I hope I captured prototype Naruto's personality well. Since I only read one chapter on him, I'm not as familiar with this Naruto as the version 2 Naruto, but I think I like the version 1 Naruto better. He was malicious and bitter yet lonely, almost exactly like Gaara. And I'm actually going to make Itachi play a big role in this story, so I'm very nervous! I really hope I do not mess up characterization of my favorite character! [doki doki]

Ah! If you've never read the prototype of Naruto comic, you can either go to toriyamaworld dot com to download it, or you can come to the yahoo group and download it from the files section. The link to the yahoo group can be found in my profile. It's only one chapter, so please be sure to download and read it! I think it's a necessity for all Naruto fans! (Granted, neither Sasurin nor Itachi is there, but… X3)


	2. Predicament

Sasuke brushed the unruly locks of Naruto's hair back. He wasn't sure why he was so concerned about the fox kit's life. Naruto was cute when he was in his fox kit form, but he was irritating when he was a boy. So why did he want to save the boy's life so much? Why did he care so much about this boy? Why did he even agree to share a bed with this boy? How could he trust someone he knew for less than a day?

"But even if he's a demon," Sasuke told himself softly. "He's probably more pure than I am. You're not a sinner, are you?"

Naruto mumbled something before he leaned into Sasuke's touch. He strangely looked like a fox kit when he was asleep, the way he curled up into a little ball and snuggled against Sasuke's warmth. Sasuke petted Naruto's hair, as he had done for the kitten's fur. Sasuke closed his eyes.

"I promise to protect you no matter what… Naruto."

* * *

Dai 2 Wa: A Bed Slave?! Naruto's Big Trouble!

* * *

Sasuke had a migraine. That in itself was not unusual, but someone besides him sitting on his bed causing that headache was very unusual. Sasuke didn't even remember the last time he allowed any human being to enter his bedchambers—having homicidal older brother who insisted on killing his parents and constantly threatening his life did that to a boy— and if he had any choice upon the matter, a demon fox boy plopped on his bed grinning his jaws off would be the last thing he wanted in his room. The other boy, on the other hand, seemed to take pleasure out of Sasuke's pains. Sadistic bastard.

Pressing the tip of his fingers on pressure points of his neck and feeling few veins popping as his blood pressure probably increased to a level that wasn't healthy for humans, Sasuke gave Naruto the fiercest, most murderous glare he could manage. "Uzumaki Naruto, you say your name is. How old are you?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes, the smirk on his lips threatening to be permanent. It was _fun_ to annoy the guy who looked like he had something stuck up his ass. Naruto carelessly swung his legs up and down on the bed, bouncing slightly on the soft mattress. "I'll tell you if you tell me first, Spiky Head."

The sound of veins popping was almost audible as Sasuke clenched his jaw until his muscles started to hurt. He suddenly realized that he _hated_ this guy. "I am Uchiha Sasuke of the Hidden Leaf Village, the second heir of the _sharingan_ clan, general in command of the first division and younger brother of the current _daimyo_ of Fire Country. In other words," Sasuke grind out, "Someone you're not worthy enough to even lick the boots of, Uzumaki. You shall address me by the title 'Sasuke-sama'. And you shall answer the question when you are addressed."

Naruto was scrutinizing his nails. He looked up at Sasuke, his eyes narrowed to hide his laughter. "Forgot the question. My bad, care to repeat it?"

"How. Old. Are. You?" Sasuke asked, taking a deep breath each time he uttered a word. He would not lower himself to a screaming match. He was the honorable young lord of the eastern regions, with the purest blood of the sharingan clan. He would not—

"Oh, now I remember! I said I'll tell you if you tell me first, didn't I? Are you dumb or something?" Naruto asked, his smirk widening. "For someone with a title long enough to waste half my life, you sure don't understand Japanese very well, Sasuke-_bocchama _(Little Sir)." The title attached to Sasuke's name was spoken with a condescending sneer.

Sasuke snapped.

Clutching the boy's collar with both of his hands, Sasuke hauled Naruto to his feet and brought his face forward until their faces were mere centimeters apart. Sasuke's voice had dropped down into chilly baritone, and he hissed his words rather than to speak them. "I am not familiar with such insolence, Uzumaki. I reassure you, if you keep this up I shall have your head part from your neck very, very soon."

Naruto snapped Sasuke's hands away, his eyes narrowing, this time in anger rather than hidden amusement. "Look, I was just wandering around the forest, minding my business when you and your goons started to come after me and shooting sharp stuff at me, okay? And now you're pissed off and death-threatening me just because I asked you to tell me your age before I tell you mine? Well, I'm not your babysitter." Naruto placed his hands against Sasuke's chest before harshly shoving him away, baring his canines. "So stop acting like such a f---ing spoiled brat!"

Sasuke stumbled back before regaining his balance. His face had turned absolutely white in his fury, his dark eyes glowing like coals. He was trembling slightly, his hands curled up into tight fists. Without words Sasuke strode towards Naruto, very rapidly closing the distance between them, before he clutched Naruto's arms with his hands and pushed him against the wall behind him. Naruto's eyes widened briefly in pain as the back of his head connected to the wall with a dull thud, then he immediately swung his head forward to bang his head with Sasuke's.

Sasuke's head rung when Naruto's head connected solidly with his own, and his fist landed on Naruto's jaws about the same time that Naruto lifted his leg to hit his knee against Sasuke's stomach. Hot pain immediately spread throughout Sasuke's abdomen, and he stumbled back, Naruto's arms still clutched in his hands. The boys lost their balance and fell down. As soon as Sasuke's back connected with the soft mattress of his bed, he immediately twisted his body and pinned Naruto to the bed with his heavier body. Sasuke and Naruto both breathed heavily with exhaustion as they glared daggers at each other, dark blue and light blue orbs crashing into each other before Naruto turned his head and bit Sasuke's shoulder as hard as he could.

"You f---ing mutt!" Sasuke howled. Naruto pulled his teeth away and grinned up at his captor before turning his head away.

"One decade and eight summers I have witnessed."

Sasuke was about to give him some kind of witty retort, but this remark was somewhat unexpected. He stared at Naruto, his mouth half-open and his black eyes flashing uncertainly before he finally said, "What?"

Naruto turned his eyes to meet Sasuke's eyes. He didn't bother to hide his annoyance. "You wanted to know, didn't you? My age. Don't make me repeat myself, Spiky Head."

Sasuke frowned. "That is quite an usual way to state your age… You are not from these parts?"

Naruto sighed. "I _am_ from Fire Country, but I lived in the mountains, in the suburbs. I only came out to the urban cities to complete a mission that the leader of my village wanted me to do." He looked sheepish as he added, "I kind of ran out of money so I didn't eat for few days. I couldn't maintain my human form anymore so I was searching the forest for food in my true form, and then you and your lackeys started to, like, chase me all over the place. What was up with that?"

Sasuke was startled. He backed away slightly, and Naruto took the opportunity to roll away from under Sasuke's body and sit up. Sasuke bit into his lower lip. "You do not know of the war between humans and demons?"

Naruto shook his head. Sasuke heavily sighed. His headache just increased by tenfold. "So you're telling me we got some innocent civilian involved, who also happens to be one of the strongest demons in existence? Someone up there must hold a strong animosity towards me."

Naruto quietly watched Sasuke, his chin resting against his knees, his arms loosely wrapped around his legs. Silence started to settle around the two, like dust falling down upon unused objects. "Can I go home?" Naruto finally asked. Sasuke looked up from his reverie, startled. He then shook his head firmly.

"You are not to leave this room unless I'm with you. I'm not even sure if _he_ would let you live, since you can transform and you are also capable of speech…" Sasuke reached out and touched the whisker-like scars on Naruto's cheeks, then ran his fingers down to finger canines protruding slightly from Naruto's lips. "You look so much like a human, yet you look too much like a demon for me to tell others that you're a human. Can you do something about these scars and teeth?"

Naruto shook his head. "This is the best I could do. I'm still a kit."

Sasuke's lips curled up into a small smile. "If you are past eighteen harvests like me, you are considered a man in human society. I guess we're of the same age?"

"Guess so," Naruto said, widely smiling back. "How about we cease fire and draw a truce? It seems like I'm going to be stuck with you for a while, so why not be on good terms, Uchiha?"

"Sasuke-sama," Sasuke corrected, but with none of the previous hostility. Naruto's smile widened.

"Jerk."

Sasuke stood up from the bed, knocking Naruto off balance and causing him to fall back into the bed. Naruto looked up from the bed worriedly, thinking that he had offended Sasuke. But Sasuke merely returned with the medical kit that he had been studying with and set it on the bed. He settled himself next to Naruto on the bed and took one of Naruto's legs into his hands before he started to roll the pants up to expose the thigh.

Naruto supported himself with his arms to sit halfway up, looking at Sasuke curiously. "What are you doing?"

Sasuke found the wound that he had inflicted with an arrow earlier the day and gently ran his fingers over the wound, causing Naruto to flinch. "Does it hurt?"

"A bit," Naruto admitted. He easily laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'm a demon, so I get healed really fast."

Sasuke lowered his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's fine, it's fine," Naruto repeated. He cringed when Sasuke touched his wound again.

Sasuke gingerly massaged the leg, helping the blood to flow more actively and mingling some of his energy to Naruto's skin to stimulate the growth of new skin. Naruto watched as Sasuke cleaned up the wound with iodine and bandaged the wound up. "You're a healer?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, a conjurer. Attack type, actually. But my master is a healer." He patted Naruto's leg before he let it fall back into the bed. "Why don't you just stay in your fox form? That Itachi will try to kill you if you run around in your human form."

Naruto gathered up his legs closer to his body and turned his head away to face the wall. "I… I was raised by humans, so I'm more like a human than a demon, you know. I feel more comfortable in human boy form. Can't I stay like this?"

Sasuke sighed and stood up. "I really prefer that you don't, but I'll talk to him about letting you stay here. After all, you're not even involved in this war."

Naruto's sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps moving away from him, and he lifted his head up to look at Sasuke. "Hey, where are you going?"

"You can sleep on the bed," Sasuke said, opening up the closet to produce bedding and a blanket. "I'm fine on the floor."

Sasuke paused when he felt a tug on his robe. Turning around, he gave a glare to Naruto. "What?"

Naruto had the irritating grin on his face again. "I'm cool sleeping together. We're both boys, aren't we?"

"I don't _sleep_ with other people," Sasuke irritably said. Naruto triumphly pointed to himself.

"Hey, it's all good! I'm a demon, remember?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto. Naruto evenly stared back at him. Finally Sasuke slumped over and pushed the bedding and blanket back to the closet. "You better not have horrible sleeping habits…"

Naruto's grin widened. "I'll do my best!"

* * *

Itachi made tea for Sasuke and set it in front of his little brother. Sasuke took the tea with a light bow of his head, but he didn't drink it. Itachi fixed his robe to set back and evenly looked at Sasuke. "You are quite late in your reply, Sasuke."

"It is a big decision, _Aniue_," Sasuke quietly replied, his head bowed to avoid his brother's piercing gaze. Itachi silently regarded him, then turned his head away.

"Neither Sakura-dono nor Ino-dono pleases you, child?"

Sasuke grew rigid. His hand started to tremble uncontrollably. He clenched his hands into fists to hide his fear. He managed to keep his voice neutral. "Sir, it is not the question of the bride-to-be. I reassure you, both Sakura-dono and Ino-dono are wonderful potential wives. I just need some time."

Itachi did not say anything in reply. Sasuke resisted the urge to fidget. He took a deep breath before he rushed out, "_Aniue_, you have said yesterday that you would allow me to keep the fox kit?" At this Itachi turned his head to look at Sasuke. "Then the kit is my property, am I correct?"

"Yes. What you do with that demon is not of my concern," Itachi slowly said. His long hair covered his eyes as he tilted his head to the side, waiting for Sasuke to continue.

"The—the kit is completely domesticated, _Aniue_," Sasuke said. His voice almost sounded pleading. "He has some special skills, but I reassure you that he is completely harmless. He is a bit vulgar, but he is a good child by nature, and I—"

Itachi's eyes narrowed as he interrupted. "Child. You don't mean that the kit is capable of transforming into a human being?"

Sasuke visibly flinched. His fists were clenched so tightly that the blood flow was blocked, and his veins started to show through the pale skin. His shoulders were also starting to shake slightly. "Yes sir. But _Aniue_, he is a good child. Perhaps I can keep him as a personal servant?"

"There are more than enough servant as it is," Itachi snapped. "In fact, there are thousands more humans who would like nothing better than to be a servant at our estate. I do not need demons to run over this place. If the kit is capable of transformations, surely he is too dangerous to keep."

Sasuke shuddered at the man's icy tone. He wanted to run away. But the fox kit—dare he call him his 'friend'?—would die if he could not convinced his older brother. "Then may I keep him as my companion? It does get so very dreary in the manor at times. He would live here with me, so there would be no security reliability, either."

"Sasuke, surely you are too old to get a playmate," Itachi impatiently said. "Besides, you are to be married soon. With wife and children, I doubt you will have much time to spare."

Sasuke was running out of options. His head bowed further, his body stiffening even more. "Then may I have him as a bed slave?"

Sasuke felt his face immediately reddening at the mere words. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to crawl into some hole and die. Where did that come out of nowhere? Sure, that was convincing. He wanted to keep a dangerous fox demon boy as a sex toy. If that was not the dumbest thing he had uttered in his short life—"Is he very attractive?"

Sasuke lifted his head in bewilderment, accidentally meeting his eyes with Itachi's eyes. He hurriedly lowered his head again and stammered out, "Ye- yes sir. He is a demon, after all, and demons are very alluring."

"Have you embraced him?"

"N-no!" Sasuke snapped, blushing even more. He hurriedly added, "But I will, if you give me the permission to keep him."

Itachi took a sip of his own tea thoughtfully. "You do need to be experienced if you are to please your wife during your wedding night. And you are of the age where you would be curious about erotic plays. But I can easily get you many concubines. You do not need such a dangerous bed partner. The fox kit pleases you?"

Sasuke felt his stomach churning at talking of a _boy_ in this way. Demons technically did not have a gender, but Naruto he knew was definitely a boy. But he firmly nodded. "Will you allow me to keep him?"

"It cannot be helped, if you are so taken with him," Itachi said. He gracefully rose to his feet, gathering his silk robe around his body. "You will choose your wife soon?"

"But of course, sir," Sasuke replied, relieved. With a wave of his hand, Itachi dismissed Sasuke. Sasuke walked back to his room, his heart much lightened by the knowledge that Naruto will be spared. That was before he wondered how he would tell Naruto that he's his bedmate now.

* * *

"You _what_?!"

Sasuke tried not to cringe at the high-pitched, indignant squeak. Naruto stared up at him like he had lost his head. "I'm your what?"

Sasuke did his best not to be embarrassed as he solemnly said, "You are my bedmate."

"You had that kind of hobby?!" Naruto asked, his eyes threatening to pop out of his head. "And what made you so sure that I shared your hobby?! I like girls, you know! And even if I shared your hobby, I wouldn't want to be _your_ partner!"

"Trust me, I am even less thrilled at the prospect of sleeping with someone like you," Sasuke snapped. "I favor females, too. I'm not going to do anything to you. Stay with me for few days, and I'll let you go free at the first chance that I get. Unless you really want to die?"

Naruto glared at Sasuke suspiciously. "I don't know; how can I trust you? I mean, you come up with those kind of… ideas. Are you sure you like girls?"

"Let us not discuss my sexuality here," Sasuke dryly said. "Besides, you're not even technically male."

Naruto was indignant. "I lived as a boy my whole life! I bet I'm so much bigger than you, you jackass! Wanna compare?!"

Sasuke grimaced. "No thank you. I do not participate in vulgar activities of showing my penis to others. If you would excuse me, I need to go to my lessons now."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "I'm telling you now, Uchiha. One wrong move, and I'll make sure you can never have children. Got that?"

Sasuke gave Naruto a very superior look before he left the room. "As if I would even consider you that way, _peasant_."

The pillow that Naruto threw at Sasuke hit the doorframe instead. Naruto bristled with anger.

"Argh! I _hate_ that bastard!"

* * *

To Be Continued

Ehehe. Actually, I was swamped with finals last week, so I was thinking that I wouldn't publish _Ookami_(because I wasn't sure if I could update this week!). But I didn't expect such good response; I'm so happy! I'm very glad that you guys like this idea. At first, when I got the idea, I was thinking, 'Whoa, that's weird. Where did that come out of no where?' Thank you for the encouragements, I'll do my best! X3

ITACHI! Kakkosugi-! He's voice was very, very deep, which surprised me. Pretty evil guys tend to have very sweet, gentle voice. Well, he's cool either way, so it's okay. Maybe Kimimaro-san would have the soft voice that I'm expecting from pretty evil guys. Waa, I want to hear Kimimaro-san's voice, now that I heard Itachi's voice! But Itachi, just what is up with the purple fingernails? [laughs]

Oh, um, Sasuke didn't specify Naruto's gender when he was talking to Itachi. He referred to him as 'koitsu', which is more like 'it' than 'him'. It was weird when Itachi kept saying 'Did you embrace him?' and things like that, but it sounded weirder when I translated it as 'Did you embrace it?' ...Oh, whatever.


	3. Affection

"Because you can only trust yourself."

Itachi walked along the pathway lined with coarse pebbles, his feet soundlessly moving across the road. Heavy cherry blossom foliages rained upon his head, mingling with his dark locks of hair and providing sharp contrast between deep indigo and pale pink. His hands were clasped together, barely visible past the long sleeve of his spring robe. His steps were small and precise; not even a single movement was wasted. His dark red eyes were half-ridden to keep the numerous flower petals out of his eyes, and his lips were drawn tightly.

"My brother detests me. I have blood of those who have given birth to my brother and me upon my hands. The world is my enemy, and there is not one that I trust in this world. Except," Itachi lowly chuckled. "Except my precious younger brother… But he must not know of my weakness. He must hate me, be tainted by this world, have his hands steeped in sin. Only then will he able to be strong enough to survive, because he is such a kind child that he will become insane if I leave him to rule with his heart still beating within his chest."

Itachi slowly lifted his hands to caress velvety petals of a young cherry blossom that barely opened, tracing along the delicate pink petals. "In this era of war, being a demon is the only way to survive. If you do not eat, you will be eaten. Even if I am hated by the one I love the most, that's all right. You must become strong, little one. Drink my blood, consume my flesh, burn in hate and fear, and become the greatest ruler of them all…"

Slender fingers wrapped themselves around the flower before crushing the flower. Itachi allowed a trace of sadness to touch his features. The pulverized flower fell down to the ground. "Be a tyrant, rather than a soulless doll like myself, Sasuke. My beloved little brother…"

* * *

Dai 3 Wa: Hidden Kindness! -Beyond the Icy Eyes and Cold Heart-

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes. Sasuke never stayed half-asleep. He never stirred himself awake. He was either awake, or he wasn't. When he decided to sleep, he slept instantly. When he decided to wake up, he opened his eyes and sat up, as if he had merely been lying down with his eyes closed instead of sleeping. And, in fact, his sleep was more like lying awake with his eyes closed, because he woke at the slightest sound. Peaceful sleep was a luxury he could not afford with his life constantly threatened.

Usually opening his eyes meant standing up, taking off his sleeping clothes, and taking care of his morning toiletries. Instead, Sasuke found himself tangled up with the fox kit-turned-human, who was sleeping soundly with his mouth half open and saliva dribbling down the corner of his mouth. Naruto had his arms wrapped around Sasuke's stomach, his cheek resting against Sasuke's chest and his head tucked under his chin. One of his legs was wrapped around Sasuke's legs. He was heavy. And he was lightly snoring.

Sasuke wondered why he wasn't shoving the other boy off of him. By all accounts, Naruto had proved himself to be the most unattractive bedmate. But somehow it felt very comforting to hold something warm in his arms, and Naruto had a very nice scent. It wasn't the artificial aroma of perfumes, but something so much more natural and familiar. It somehow made him feel nostalgic.

"He smells like the forest," Sasuke mused to himself. "He smells like the trees, the flowers, the endless terrain, the wide heavens, the flowing rivers—He smells of life…"

Sasuke felt the tension drain out of his body, and his eyes accordingly softened. He adjusted his grip on Naruto's body so that Naruto would be resting more comfortably against his chest. "He's kind of cute when he's sleeping."

Naruto shifted in his arms, then slowly his eyes opened and he blinked up at Sasuke, frowning slightly. He rubbed at his eyes with his fist before burying his face back into Sasuke's chest, mumbling something that suspiciously sounded like 'ramen' before he suddenly snapped awake. His confused eyes focused on Sasuke's face, then his expression crumpled. He started to struggle against Sasuke's arms, and he took a deep breath before he started to scream bloody murder. "Gyaaa! What have you done to me, you pervert! Let go of me! Don't touch me!"

"Calm down! Uzumaki, if you struggle like this you'll fall off the bed!" Sasuke snapped, trying to detangle himself from Naruto's body. Naruto pushed against him even more violently, and in a heap of limbs and clothing, the two fell off the bed. The blanket fell off shortly afterwards and landed on top of Naruto's head. Sasuke, who cushioned Naruto's fall by landing on the floor first, glared up at Naruto.

"Get off. Now."

Naruto glared back. "What were you doing to me while I was sleeping?"

"I was being grossed out by the amount of saliva your mouth produces before you woke up and damaged my eardrums. Now if you don't get off, I'll _make_ you get off." Sasuke pushed his free hand against Naruto's chest to empathize his point, but this only caused Naruto to lose his balance and fall on top of Sasuke again. Naruto groaned as he slowly pulled his legs away from Sasuke's legs.

"So exactly why was your leg against my crotch? My bladder's full enough without you rubbing against my dick and making me want to piss even more!"

"Watch your language!" Sasuke hissed, horrified at Naruto's choice of words. "I don't _want_ to know about the status of your erection, all right? You're the one who draped yourself all over me while you slept. Why are you calling me a pervert when you're the one who slept against my chest?"

Naruto managed to finally untangle himself from Sasuke and hurriedly backed away, as if Sasuke would contaminate him with a disease. Sasuke in return gave Naruto a look that otherwise would have been given to a squashed bug. "Whatever. It's all your fault, anyway," Naruto grumbled. He hopped up from his place on the floor. Ripping off the blanket on his head, he tossed the blanket over his shoulder and walked out of the door in search for the bathroom. The abandoned blanket fell on top of Sasuke's head.

Sasuke glared at Naruto's back, hoping he could bore a hole through it if he glared at it hard enough. He couldn't. So he turned to cursing the fox kit instead.

"Damn him," Sasuke bitterly muttered. "What was I thinking? He's not cute at all!"

* * *

Itachi watched an orange blur running down the hallway. Anything orange in the austere manor was unusual, but a running orange object was even more unusual. He watched the object stop and look around, frowning at the numerous doors that lacked labels. "Where the heck is the bathroom?" Itachi heard it muse out aloud. The object walked closer to him, and Itachi finally realized that it was a boy, just about Sasuke's age, with spiky blond hair and clear blue eyes. The boy, also noticing Itachi, broke into a run again and came up to him.

"Hi!" The boy cheerfully said. Itachi almost winced at the overly loud and happy voice. Loud and happy was not a good sign. "You're that psychotic niichan I saw yesterday, right? Hey, do you know where the bathroom is?"

Psychotic? "Who are you?" Itachi asked after a brief pause, staring at the hyper little boy in front of him in half amusement and half displeasure.

The boy looked surprised, then he caught himself and sheepishly laughed. "Oh! Right, this is my first time meeting you like this. My name is Uzumaki Naruto! How about you, Niichan?"

"I am called Uchiha Itachi," Itachi slowly said. Corner of his mouth quirked from being addressed, of all things, 'niichan(affectionate form of 'big brother')'. He turned away. "Follow me, and I shall show you to the bathroom. It might interest you to know that running would not be a good idea in here. The wooden floor is slippery, and you might fall down to hurt your head."

Naruto trotted to keep up with wide strides that Itachi's longer legs permitted. "I'll try to remember that. Is the bathroom really far away from here? Because I really need to go."

Itachi did his best to keep his face stern; the child's cheerfulness was contagious. He gestured to a room. "There you are. Have you been hired recently? You must get someone to show you around. You will easily get lost in here if you do not know your way around."

"No kidding," Naruto agreed. "Thanks, Niichan!"

Itachi flinched when Naruto slammed the bathroom door behind him as he entered the room. He deeply sighed and turned away. Which _moron_ hired that noisy thing? He was aware that recently some young boys and girls were hired for kitchen, but he had specifically asked for quiet, well-behaved children. He would need to have a word with the man in charge of hiring the kitchen aids.

The bathroom door slammed open, and the orange ball of energy darted out of the room, running full speed towards Itachi again. Itachi muttered curses under his breath as he turned around to glare at Naruto. He looked just in time to see Naruto slipping on the smooth wooden floor and slide across the hallway, straight towards him. Itachi's curses grew more profane as Naruto slammed into him, knocking the two into the wall behind Itachi. The two bounced off the wall and landed on the floor, and there was a sickening cracking sound.

"Ouch!" Naruto whined. Itachi gingerly stepped away from Naruto, who was sprawled out on the floor, his right foot trapped in a strange angle under his body. Itachi grimaced and leaned down.

"Child. Let me see your foot; your ankle may be twisted."

"I nearly lost my left leg yesterday, and now my right ankle's twisted?! That's not cool!" Naruto groaned, struggling to sit up. He yelped slightly as Itachi took hold of his ankle and sparks of pain shot up his leg. Itachi placed his hands on either side of Naruto's ankle, and sudden pressure brought out another cracking noise from the anklebones.

"Awwww!" Naruto howled, tears forming at the edge of his eyes because of the pain. "What the hell are you doing?! Trying to prevent me from ever walking again?!"

"You need to be educated upon how you address your superiors," Itachi scolded. "I set the twisted bones straight, so I think you'll just need some ice to prevent swelling on your ankle. But we'll go see the healer anyway."

Itachi easily picked Naruto up into his arms as he stood up. Naruto wrapped his arms around Itachi's shoulders to keep his balance, looking at Itachi with confusion. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"You can't walk by yourself, can you?" Itachi asked. Naruto silently regarded him as he walked down the labyrinth of hallways and stairways.

"You're a lot nicer than I thought you'd be… Do you act psychotic around your little brother to scare the shit out of him? Or is Uchiha paranoid?"

Itachi lowly chuckled without humor. "I do not act psychotic, and I am not nice. I merely accomplish things that must be done, because that is the only reason for my existence."

"You're a nutcase," Naruto cheerfully informed Itachi. "But I still think you're a nice guy. Niichan, when do we eat breakfast? I'm starving!"

"You may come down to the kitchen once your ankle is fixed," Itachi said. They reached the healer's room. He set Naruto down on the floor carefully so that Naruto can balance on his left leg. He gestured to the door. "Ask Iruka-dono to look over your leg." He stiffened when Naruto suddenly threw his arms around Itachi's waist to give him a hug.

"Thanks, Niichan! I'll see you later then! And I'll try to remember not to run!"

Itachi was speechless. He silently watched Naruto being admitted into the medical room by Iruka. He frowned and stared at his hands. Naruto felt so warm.

"…I wonder if this is how it feels to have a little brother?" Itachi asked himself. His face remained expressionless, but there was a tiny crack on his icy eyes. And behind that chip was barely visible warmth.

* * *

"You really are naughty," Iruka said. His words were stern, but there was such a genuine kindness and fondness in his eyes that Naruto couldn't help but grin back at him. "Just look at all these scratches and bruises. I am aware that demons heal fast, but really, you must not push your limits."

"You can tell I'm a demon?" Naruto asked, surprised. "Am I really that obvious?"

Iruka softly laughed. "Well, I must admit your transformation into a human being was very well done, especially since you are so young. But you give off too much aura of a demon. Are you the fox kit that Sasuke Obousama had captured?"

Naruto nodded. Iruka poured healing ointment on Naruto's ankle before gently massaging the ankle to let the liquid seep past Naruto's skin. "My name is Umino Iruka. What is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said. "Are you Uchiha's teacher?"

"Yes, I am."

Naruto watched Iruka bandaging his ankle up. "How can you stand to be that guy's teacher? He's a royal pain in the butt, you know. He's a very pretty person, but he gets pissed off so easily."

Iruka laughed again. "Oh, Naruto. Don't judge by what you see outside. Sasuke Obousama is actually a very sweet child."

Naruto made a face. There was a soft knock on the door, then the door gently slid aside and Sasuke stepped into the room. He respectively bowed to Iruka. "Iruka-dono, I think I will be a little late in my lessons today. I cannot find my fox kit, and I'm afraid I must find him before—"

"—he gets into a mischief, like twisting his ankle?" Iruka finished, smiling. Sasuke looked up, surprised, then scowled when Naruto waved at him.

"Do you know," Sasuke started. "Just how long I've been looking for you?! Explain to me why it took you nearly an hour just to use the bathroom!"

Naruto snorted and flashed his middle finger to Sasuke. "What's it to you? Who asked you to go around looking for me anyway?"

Iruka uneasily watched as Sasuke's eyes flared up, his lips thinning out. He was mortified at Naruto's coarse behavior, but even more so at Sasuke's furious expression. It surprised him that Naruto made Sasuke angry so easily. Normally Sasuke was as emotional as a piece of brick.

"You are my property, so of course I have to keep my eye on you!" Sasuke snarled. Naruto leapt up from his seat and clutched the collar of Sasuke's robe with his hands, and Sasuke immediately did the same with Naruto's shirt.

"What did you just say, you sick pervert?! I don't belong to you!"

"Yes you do! You're my bed slave, so you're mine!"

"No, I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

By this time Iruka was thinking that the end of the world must be near, because Sasuke was having a childish verbal argument with his peer. And that peer was still not decapitated, even when he dared to grab Sasuke's collar and used casual speech pattern to him. The last time Iruka saw Sasuke throwing a temper tantrum like this was… Actually, he had never seen Sasuke being so openly angry. And did he hear wrong, or was there a mention of 'bed slave' somewhere in their argument?

"You _are_!"

"I'm _not_!"

And then Iruka's eyes stretched to twice their normal size, because Sasuke pushed Naruto against the wall and kissed him. As Iruka watched Sasuke holding Naruto down with his heavier body and crushing the smaller boy's lips with his own, Iruka regretted remaining a bachelor. If he had known the world would end so soon, he would have gotten married early and started a family…

Sasuke was triumphantly smiling when he pulled his lips away from Naruto. "Mine," he happily declared. Because the world didn't seem to end yet, Iruka wondered what the Sasuke look-alike had done with real Sasuke. Or maybe Sasuke had decided that using LSD would be a fun thing to do. If that was the case, Sasuke on acid was very dangerous…

"Like jack shit I'm yours! That was my first kiss!" Naruto screeched. "You pervert! Lecher! Gay! Octopus! _Dummy_!"

The last insult was accompanied with a kick to Sasuke's stomach, and Sasuke flew halfway across the room before he grabbed the shelf on the wall to steady himself, knocking over various herb bottles and bandages. Iruka was glad they had only knocked over common herbs like mugwort and licorice root, but he was starting to realize that it would be a very good idea to kick these boys out of his room before they destroyed it. Before Iruka could politely suggest to Sasuke to fight with his friend somewhere else, Sasuke snarled out, "You'd better come back to my room before I put leash on you," and stomped out of the room. Naruto stared at Sasuke's retreating back, then started to rub his mouth with his shirt, looking like he desperately wanted to vomit. His eyes met with Iruka's eyes.

"…Are you sure he's sweet?"

* * *

To Be Continued

Oh, Naruto. Don't you know what happens to a disobedient little uke? [laughs] I'm sorry if you were looking for sweet, fluffy, mushy romance. With Sasuke's horrible temper and Naruto's stubbornness, I'm not sure if that will ever happen. They definitely like each other, but they have the funniest way of showing their affection… Like Sasuke yelling at Naruto that he belongs to him, when he was really only worried about Naruto because he was gone for a long time, and Naruto yelling at Sasuke just to get a reaction out of him…

Uuu. Sasurin, you're too cute! . Sasuke was so cute when he was around my baby brother's age. And he loved his older brother so much! It's impossible for an older brother to dislike such a cute kid. Sure Itachi breaks Sasuke's wrist bones, ribs, and traumatizes him, but I'm sure it's all done out of love. …Yeah. Sasuke's voice as a child strangely sounded like Gaara's voice as a child...

I apologize if the speech pattern was confusing. Sasuke uses the rather old and very formal speech pattern with '-de gozaimasu' to everyone except Naruto. When he talks to Naruto, he just speaks normally. He first referred to Naruto as 'kimi', but now he's simply calling him 'omae'. Naruto also changed his reference to Sasuke from 'anta' to 'omae', but he speaks with his normal '-datte ba yo' to everyone. Itachi uses '-de gozaru', which is formal, yet not as formal as Sasuke's speech pattern. I'm not sure how to explain this. My archaic Japanese sucks, so I didn't bother with old English. If I start writing 'thou' and 'art' and stuff like that, I think I'll die. [sweat-drops]


	4. Congeniality

"I- Ino-chan, wait up!" Sakura cried, trying to catch up with her friend. Ino just laughed as she ran further ahead, the wind whipping up her skirt and hair to flow behind her. Stray flower petals mingled in the gentle breeze, and Sakura tried to get back her breath as she watched Ino getting further and further away. Sakura's eyes filled with tears. She finally lowered her head and started to cry.

'Why can't I ever catch up to her…? At this rate, I'll die alone…'

She started when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Ino was smiling down at her, brushing her out of her tear-wet eyes. "What are you standing around crying like a wimp for? If you just tell me that you can't catch up, I'll wait for you, won't I?"

"I don't want to be a burden to you," Sakura softly said. Suddenly ashamed of her tears, she furiously wiped them away. Ino burst into laughter.

"Sakura-chan, you're so stubborn. But we're friends, aren't we?" Ino wrapped her arms around Sakura's shoulder. "I'll always protect you, so you'll never be a burden to me. Because you're my most precious friend!"

Sakura gently pulled away from Ino's arms. She slowly shook her head. "You're wrong. We're not friends anymore. We are competing to be Sasuke-sama's wife, aren't we? So I can't be friends with you anymore…"

Something flashed in Ino's eyes, but it was soon wiped out and she broadly smiled instead. "…Right!"

"I hope we're not visiting Sasuke-sama too early. But mother and father are most persistent on knowing how long it will take Sasuke-sama to make his decision. They have been asking me to visit Sasuke-sama since last night!" Sakura happily smiled. "Well, I am glad of an excuse to meet Sasuke-sama. But I shouldn't make my feelings too known to him, right? After all, I'm only supposed to be a trophy wife. Sasuke-sama will feel uncomfortable if I am too fond of him."

Ino stayed silent. They quietly walked side by side. Ino gave a wistful glance to Sakura before they entered the Uchiha manor, but Sakura failed to notice it.

* * *

Dai 4 Wa: Even Ice Melts With Warmth. –Gentle Friendship-

* * *

Iruka sighed and started to clean up the scattered herbs on the floor. Naruto sat on an over-turned basket, his legs sprawled out in front of him and his hands grasping the corner of the basket to retain his balance.

"You'd best return to Sasuke Obousama's room, Naruto," Iruka gently said. "You would displease him if you do not obey his orders. And I do wish to keep what remains of my sanity."

"But you're the only sane one around here! If I go back to his room, Uchiha will probably tie me up and do this and that to me!" Naruto whined. "Anyway, aren't we supposed to have breakfast soon?"

Iruka paused in cleaning up broken pieces of bottle that once held mint leaves. "Sasuke Obousama didn't tell you yet? He does not eat with the others. In fact, he doesn't go near Itachi Obousama if he can help it."

"Eh? Why?" Naruto asked, leaning slightly forward on the basket. The basket started to tilt dangerously to one side, and Naruto dug his uninjured foot on the ground to hold himself up. "Sure Itachi Niichan has issues of his own to work out, but he seemed nice in his own twisted way. Why doesn't Uchiha like his own brother?"

Iruka heavily sighed and walked over to Naruto, picking him up and setting him on the floor. He sat down next to Naruto. "When Sasuke Obousama was yet a small boy, Itachi Obousama massacred everyone in the Uchiha clan. He killed everyone, from their distant cousins to their own parents. And Sasuke Obousama watched the bloodbath, unable to do anything because he was petrified with fear. He had grown to hate himself very much because of that, and understandably, he has vowed to kill Itachi Obousama someday."

"…I don't get it. Then why didn't Itachi Niichan kill Uchiha?"

"That I do not know," Iruka slowly said. He lowered his head. "I am but a servant in their estate. It is not for me to interfere with what my master is doing, and my royalty is sworn to Itachi Obousama. But even so, even I cannot understand why he has done such a thing, and why he left Sasuke Obousama alive."

Naruto studied the wooden floor, then slowly stood up. "Uchiha was worried that I'll get killed if I wander around by myself, wasn't he."

At this Iruka was able to give Naruto a small smile. "Yes. I have never seen Sasuke Obousama so upset. He must care for you very much."

Naruto snorted, even though it was obvious that he was embarrassed. "Like I need his help. Does he think us nine-tailed demon foxes are called the strongest demons for nothing?" He lowered his eyes to look at Iruka. He shyly asked, "…Do you think he'll like it if I apologize to him, though?"

"I am very sure that that will please him," Iruka reassured him, smiling. Naruto scratched at his scarred cheek with his index finger.

"Then I'll do it."

* * *

Naruto had given up on ever finding his way around the gigantic Uchiha manor. Instead, he followed Sasuke's scent to return to his room. Finally reaching the room, Naruto slid the door open.

"Uh, Uchiha—"

"Welcome back, Sasuke-sama!" A chorus of female voices called out. Naruto blinked few times before he poked his head further into the room. Two young girls around his age were sitting in a loose circle near Sasuke's bed. They were dressed in the finest silk robes, and at one glance it was obvious that they were ladies of high class.

"My, it isn't Sasuke-sama," a pink-haired girl softly said, clearly disappointed. She lowered her pretty emerald-colored eyes. "Who might you be, sir?"

"That's my line!" Naruto squeaked, pointing at the girls. "Where did you guys pop out of no where?! And what are you doing here?!"

"We are candidates for Sasuke-sama's wife," a blonde said, looking up at Naruto curiously. "Haruno Sakura-dono—" Here the girl paused and gestured to the pink-haired girl—"and I, Yamanaka Ino, are to be Sasuke-sama's fiancée. And you are?"

"Why does he want me to be his bed slave if he already has this many cute girls who want to marry him?!" Naruto blurted out. He immediately regretted what he had just said. Why, oh why did he always speak before he thought? He was sure that hearing about a male bed slave of their potential husband wouldn't be too thrilling for any girl.

Sakura frowned. "But you are a boy child?"

"Obviously so that no heir results from the union," Ino said, smiling. She petted the place next to her. "Come sit next to us and have some tea. This is unexpected, but I am delighted to meet you. Your name is?"

Naruto wanted to die of embarrassment. He obediently shuffled to Ino and plopped down next to her, lowering his head. "…Naruto."

It seemed that Sakura had gained her good humor back, too, because she was also smiling. Naruto wasn't sure if he was supposed to be comforted with their smile or be scared. It seemed that the latter was probably a better option, so Naruto lowered his head and avoided contact with the happy smiling girls.

"O-Naruto," Sakura softly started. "Since when have you been coupling with Sasuke-sama? It has not been long since the last time I had visited Sasuke-sama, and at that time I did not see you."

"Oh, I met Uchiha two days ago," Naruto started, snapping his head up. His face started to turn red as he stuttered, "Uchiha and I didn't—"

"So _there_ you were, Kitten," Sasuke interrupted as he entered the room. Oblivious to his visitors, Sasuke scooped Naruto up into his arms and looked at him over. "Why did you take so long to return to my room? I thought you got lost again and broke your other leg or something! Iruka-dono completely fixed your leg?"

"Put me down!" Naruto hissed, his face turning even redder. "What are you doing in front of other people?!"

At this Sasuke looked over Naruto's shoulder and noticed the girls for the first time. Without bothering to put Naruto down, he politely bowed to them. "Good morning to you, Sakura-dono, Ino-dono."

"Good morning to you, Sasuke-sama," the girls replied, bowing in return. Sasuke sat down across from them and poured out the tea for them. Naruto, who had been forced to sit on Sasuke's lap, gave Sasuke his fiercest glare. Sasuke ignored him.

"To what may I attribute for your visit?" Sasuke asked, giving Naruto a piece of tea cracker. Despite the fact that Naruto wanted to dislocate Sasuke's jaw, food was a good thing. He happily munched on his cracker while the others talked.

"Just a visit, Sasuke-sama," Ino warmly said. "It is quite terrible of you to not introduce us to your delightful O-Naruto sooner. Perhaps you would allow me to borrow him sometime so that I may be more acquainted with him. He seems to be a lovely child."

"I apologize, Ino-dono, but I have gained him only recently. I am sorry to say that you may not borrow Naruto; he is to be executively mine," Sasuke smoothly replied.

Naruto choked on his cracker and started to shout obscenities at Sasuke, but Sasuke stuffed his mouth with a piece of strawberry. Sakura said, "My apologies if I seem impudent for asking such things. But Sasuke-sama, have you made your decision yet? My parents would like it if I marry before I reach my twenties, and if I may not be matched up with Sasuke-sama, they wish to match me up with other lords."

At this Sasuke stiffened. Naruto finally managed to swallow his strawberry and looked at Sasuke worriedly. Sasuke was always rigid when the subject of his older brother or marriage came up. Even though now Naruto knew why Sasuke smelled of fear when he was near his older brother, he didn't understand why Sasuke would be uncomfortable with marrying someone. Surely, these girls were candidates for his wife because he liked them?

Or maybe he really was gay…

"I really am sorry that my decision is taking up so much of your time," Sasuke finally said, smiling uneasily. "I had lots of things on my mind lately, and my workload suddenly increased as our territory became bigger. I will definitely make up my mind in a month's time."

"A month," Ino repeated. "That seems reasonable time for such a big decision. I really am rueful that you would not let me play with your toy—" Naruto shrank away as Ino touched his cheek—"but I am glad to know you have such a cute child occupying your leisure hours before you become a married man. You will not breakfast with us, Sasuke-sama?"

Sasuke lowered his head. "Please excuse me. I have already eaten."

"Then we shall leave," Sakura said. As soon as Ino and Sakura exchanged pleasantries with Sasuke and left the room, Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Uchiha, why did you lie? You didn't eat yet, did you?"

Sasuke stared at the remaining tea and crackers. "I'll probably get an indigestion if I eat with them."

Naruto pulled away from Sasuke and walked over to the window, pulling the curtains away from the window. He rested his forehead against the window, watching Ino and Sakura talking to each other as they left. "That's weird… You don't like them, and they don't really seem to like you, either. I mean, they seemed fine that you've got yourself a bed slave." Naruto turned to look at Sasuke. "How could you mate with someone you don't even like?"

Sasuke bit into his lower lip. "…My brother wishes for me to produce an heir. Besides, I need a wife, and we can make alliances with other countries through my marriage."

"…So you're getting a mate to get land and kits?" Naruto asked, frowning. "But that's stupid! If you're going to spend the rest of your life with someone, you should choose someone that you really like!"

"…."

Sasuke sadly smiled. "I doubt I'll ever find anyone I'll really like. I don't like humans. Actually, I hate humans. I can't trust them. They're so weak, and selfish, and disgustingly stupid. I can't even like myself, so how could I ever like someone else?"

"Du—mmy," Naruto said, snorting. He hopped away from the window and pressed his forehead against Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke was too surprised to move away as Naruto gave him a cocky grin and said, "Love is having the courage to like someone, when you can't even like yourself. It's the strength to bond half of your soul to another's soul, at the risk of the bond tearing apart and hurting you. I'm not even a human, and I still hate myself. But that's okay, because I'm sure someone who will even like my imperfections will help me learn to like myself."

His voice slightly lowered. "I believe in that."

"You…." Sasuke slowly said, his voice also hushed. Then:

"You dumbass."

Naruto stared at Sasuke in disbelief. Then he wordlessly clenched his hand into a fist. His fist swiftly made its way to Sasuke's face, but unfortunately Sasuke managed to catch it before it hit its mark. Sasuke started to laugh. "How can you be so sure of that? The way you say that… It almost sounds convincing; I almost want to believe what you're saying. I'm jealous at how pure you are. But I'm also happy that you're here, because… You're the first friend I've ever made…"

Still clutching Naruto's wrist in his hand, Sasuke used his other hand to pull Naruto into his chest, pressing his cheek against Naruto's cheek. "Thank you, Uzumaki."

Naruto felt his heart speeding up its blood-pumping process as Sasuke warmly embraced him. Somehow Sasuke sounded like he had just exposed part of his soul to him. He gingerly loosened his fist and gently pushed Sasuke away. He lowered his head, because he was sure that he was blushing.

"D- don't say embarrassing things, stupid."

He took a deep breath before he added, "—Uh, I'm sorry I kicked you and yelled at you and stuff this morning. Um…"

"I'll be very happy to be friends again," Sasuke said. Naruto gave him a small smile.

He was surprised when Sasuke returned it.

* * *

To be continued

It was my birthday early this week, and I had been scanlating some fan comics. While doing so, Shiro realized that… Naru-hime(princess) is probably the strongest of all Naruto characters! (…Naru-hime?) With his pretty babyish face and big, innocent eyes, he runs among innumerate number of seme-tachi, making them all fall in love with him yet he himself has no idea what he's doing to them. No seme is resistant to Naru-hime's charms! From Gaara to Neji to Sasuke, not even one escaped the 'Naruto disease'! Sasurin, you'd better take good care of your husband! [laughs]

…Please excuse me. I was joking. (Well, at least half-joking…)

Lately, because of certain Korean website, I've been obsessed with Kaiba Seto from Yuugiou. I was very surprised to learn that the shachou-sama had same voice actor as Inui from Prince of Tennis. But then again, I was also shocked when I first learned that Gon Freaks from Hunter x Hunter had same voice actor as Naru-hime from Naruto. As cute as Sasuke's 'usuratonkachi'(dumbass) and 'dobe'(dunce) nicknames are, it cannot match up to the shachou-sama's 'makeinu'(loser dog)… So I satisfied my urges for cute nicknames by making Sasuke call Naruto 'kitten', right in front of Sakura and Ino! Maybe someday Sasuke would call Naruto 'makekitsune'!!! Go go 'makekitsune-chan'!!!

…Shiro, you're getting weirder and weirder as you get older. [sighs]


	5. Ambiguety

A man swept his eyes over his surroundings, his lips curling upwards in hidden amusement. No one could have known what this man was feeling, for most of his face was hidden with mask and bandage wrapped around his head. His hair was the purest of white color, so much that it shone silver. His dark eyes briefly lasted on what was undoubtedly human skull before sweeping across burnt remains of a village.

"This is rather troublesome," he said to himself, the smile hidden underneath his mask never leaving his lips. He leaned down to pick up a half-burnt toy. "Orochimaru's handy work, no doubt about it. Gaara Obousama will have a fit."

The man tossed the toy aside and dusted his hands off. He looked up at the sky and stretched his hand out towards it, as if attempting to capture the cloud with his hand.

"Naruto. Where are you?"

* * *

Dai 5 Wa: Hint of Vanilla in Lime Sherbet! –The Vague Feelings Surface-

* * *

"Ugyaaaaa! Let go! Let go of me, you bastard! What are you doing to me?! I'll kill you!!!"

Sasuke wrapped his arm around Naruto's waist and gave an impatient tug at his pants. "Shut up and act mature, Uzumaki. It'll be over quickly if you would stay still."

Naruto snarled and swiped at Sasuke's cheek, his nails extended like claws. Sasuke swung his head out of the way, but received a shallow cut to his cheek. As blood trickled down his cheek, his frown deepened. He took hold of Naruto's hand and wrung it back until Naruto cried out in pain.

"Listen, you _dunce_. Get it through your head that while you are under my powers, you are my property. If you would not obey, I have no choice but to punish you. Do you understand?" Sasuke unzipped Naruto's shirt as he spoke. He thoughtfully paused. "If you're embarrassed, I don't mind even if you're in your fox form. Not that a human boy's body is not anything I haven't seen before, but…"

"Are you nuts?!" Naruto barked. "It'll be ten times worse if I'm in my true form! I thought you were my friend! How could you do this to me?!"

Sasuke pulled off Naruto's goggle and placed it next to the haphazardly strewn clothing articles around them. "What does our companionship have anything to do with this? Now shut your mouth."

Naruto curled up to hide his nude body, staring daggers at Sasuke. Sasuke ignored the murderous gaze and picked Naruto up from the floor. For a boy his age, Naruto was surprisingly light. Perhaps it was because he was not a real human boy? Sasuke carried Naruto across his room to the attached bathing area, and there he unceremoniously dumped Naruto into the pool of clear, warm water.

The result was immediate and destructive.

"No! Water!" Naruto howled, clawing at the edge of the pool to get out of the distasteful water. Sasuke squatted down next to the pool and pushed Naruto's hands back in. Naruto cried out in despair and desperately splashed around, throwing water out of the pool and splashing everything within his vicinity with the warm and fragrant water. It didn't take long for Sasuke to be drenched, and his patience rapidly snapped.

"Stay _still_, you dimwit!" He bellowed, smacking Naruto's head with the back of his fist. Shocked silence followed, and Naruto stared up at Sasuke with his mournful blue eyes, clutching his abused head. Sasuke evenly stared back, soaked to the skin with bath water and his hand still clutched in a fist.

"Fueeeee," Naruto moaned, finally bursting into tears. "Uchiha is so mean. We're supposed to be friends, aren't we? It's not my fault that I can't swim and I'm scared of water. I'm a fox; I'm not supposed to like water. Uchiha hates me. U…ueee…"

Sasuke felt anger drain out of his body. He let out a heavy sigh before pulling his robe off of his body—the wet cloth clung to his body like a second skin—and joined Naruto in the bath. Naruto immediately attached himself to Sasuke, burying his face in Sasuke's neck and sniffling. Sasuke awkwardly wrapped his arms around Naruto, looking quite unsure of himself. "Uzumaki… If you're past eighteen harvests, can you not act more like your age? Hush, cease your tears. It's quite unsanitary if you do not bath everyday, especially in the summer. You don't want to catch some nasty disease now, do you?"

"But water makes my fur all wet and it feels gross," Naruto said. "Besides, if there is no sun out to dry my fur, I'll catch really awful cold. And your water has yucky smell. It clogs up my nose."

"You're displeased with the perfumed oil?" Sasuke asked, mildly surprised. He tapped at Naruto's nose. "I guess your nose is too sensitive for such strong scent. I'll ask them not to scent the water next time you bath—"

"Next time?!" Naruto groaned. Sasuke shook his head, quite displeased with his disobedient companion. He did not understand Naruto's dislike of water. The deepest part of the pool barely came up to their chest when they were standing, and the edge of the pool was shallow and gradually curved inwards, so the water they were standing on only came up to their waist. When Naruto had finally calm down and loosened his iron grip on Sasuke's body, Sasuke took a bar of soap and started to scrub Naruto's head with it.

"Ow! It hurts!" Naruto complained, trying to push Sasuke's hands away. Sasuke ignored him and continue to wash his hair, grimacing at the amount of dirt that was being washed out. "Uchiha! The soap's getting into my eyes!"

"Try closing your eyes, dimwit. Perhaps if soap is kept out of your eyes, it would not hurt." Sasuke tilted Naruto's head back so that Naruto was looking up at the ceiling, his head resting against his chest. He cupped water with his hand and poured the water over the soapy hair, carefully washing the suds out of the golden strands. He washed his hand in the water and wiped Naruto's face with his hand to make sure there were no remaining soapsuds on the boy's face.

Naruto blinked few times before he turned around to look at Sasuke. A sharp gasp escaped Sasuke's lips as his normally impassive eyes widened slightly. Naruto questioningly looked up at his friend. "…Uchiha?"

Why hadn't he noticed that Naruto was so… pretty? The first thing that Sasuke had noticed when he first met Naruto was his brilliant eye color. He had grown fond of Naruto's eyes at once, because they were such a clear, unusual color of blue. But now wet strands of Naruto's hair hung loose around his face, and Naruto's hair shone brilliantly, as if the strands were each elaborately made out of finely spun gold. His skin was flawlessly smooth, only marred by whisker-like scar on either side of his cheek. With all the dirt and grime washed away, Naruto truly looked too pretty to properly be a male child. He was truly a demon. An alluring demon child…

"Uchiha! Are you listening to me?" Naruto impatiently asked, breaking Sasuke out of his reverie. Naruto was scowling, and Sasuke couldn't help but think that the scowl made Naruto look cuter.

"…What?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shook his head, shaking water out of his hair like a wet puppy. His hair immediately spiked up again.

"Let's hurry and get out! Why are you just standing there? You have a cramp?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head. "No… It's nothing."

The two finished their bath in silence. As Sasuke dried Naruto's hair, Naruto turned back to look at Sasuke again. "Uchiha. Are you okay? You have such a weird expression."

Sasuke took hold of Naruto's chin and lifted his head up so that they met their eyes. Some strong, raw emotion was swimming in the depths of the dark eyes, but Naruto didn't understand those feelings. Things like fear, hate, and disgust he knew too well, but what Sasuke had on his eyes were unreadable to Naruto. "Uchiha…"

"Don't keep saying my name!" Sasuke snapped. "If… If you keep talking in that tone of voice, I…"

Naruto tried to smile, but it faltered halfway. He gently pushed Sasuke away. "You're so weird. I'll never understand you humans. If you want to say something to me, you can just say it, you know?"

"I don't have anything to say to the likes of you!" Sasuke knew he was on a verge of throwing a tantrum. Why did he sound like such a displeased child? What was the matter with him? Sasuke himself was confused with feelings he had never experienced before, and an angry fox kit annoying him was not helping the matter.

"Fine!" Naruto shot back. "Uchiha is a big dummy anyway!"

Naruto darkly grumbled something as he pulled on the silken robes that Sasuke had provided him. Sasuke numbly watched him, at the way his lithe body bent to tie the sash, at the stray water droplet that ran down Naruto's cheek and across his slender neck, at the strangely pretty pink-colored lips that incessantly complained. Then Naruto lifted his head, summer sky-colored eyes clashed against winter-sky colored eyes, and Sasuke spun around and slammed the door behind him as he left the room.

"What's your _problem_, Uchiha?!" Naruto's voice rang out after him. Sasuke covered his face with one hand, lowering his head.

"How would I know that, you dunce…"

* * *

"What do you mean Naruto-sama is no where to be found?" Kankuro demanded, unable to keep the fury out of his voice. "Our Gaara is nearly two decades old now, and Chichiue(honorable father) is nowhere to be seen! And if that Orochimaru had something to do with his disappearance, we need to find Gaara's mate as soon as possible so that he can assume the leadership of the eastern region!"

Kakashi held up his hand, indicating Kankuro to calm down. He leisurely started, "The last that I have heard of him was that he was sent on a mission. Apparently Naruto was not "human" enough for the leader of the mountain village who had been raising him, so he had been ordered to make a _friend_."

The word 'friend' had been spoken with a sneer, and Temari rolled her eyes. Gaara remained leaning against the wall, his head bowed towards his chest. He quietly said, "Why do we not just bring that human here, then? That village leader must know where Naruto had been headed."

"That's the problem," Kakashi answered, sounding mildly amused. "Orochimaru recently wiped the whole village out. The man is gone. But we must give him credit. I heard Orochimaru did not escape unharmed; his hands were rendered useless."

"That's the first good news you've brought us so far." Temari's voice sounded dry. "No clue to whereabouts of the kit? This is most annoying. We're busy enough with preparations of possible war; we do not have the time to search for Gaara's betrothed."

Gaara pushed off from the wall, adjusting the straps that held his sand-filled gourd in place. "…I'll look for him. I must retrieve my property myself, must I not, Aneue(honorable elder sister)?"

"Don't kill too much," Kankuro said. "Getting into war with humans is about the last thing we need. Some humans—what's his name? Itachi Daimyo of the northern region—are starting to hunt demons, what with all the killings we've been doing lately."

Gaara turned around and smiled. It was a smile that was cold enough to freeze flowing blood. "What I do is none of your business, isn't it, Aniue(honorable elder brother)?"

Kankuro's face paled. "But of course, Gaara of the Sand. Do what you will."

A hand rested itself on Gaara's shoulder. Gaara turned his head around to glare up at Kakashi, who still had an easy smile behind his mask. "You mustn't be hasty, Gaara Obousama. You are undoubtedly one of our strongest warriors. You must stay here and guard our territory. As for your potential mate, I will look for him myself. A foxling, correct?"

"A golden fox kit, with nine tails." Gaara didn't seem pleased that he himself would not go, but he conceded. "I leave it up to you."

Kakashi smiled, tucked away his copy of _Icha Icha Violence_ on his vest, and disappeared among a thick cloud of smoke. Gaara silently watched the rapidly receding smoke. He lowered his eyes, and a hint of tenderness was allowed to slip through the cold emerald-colored orbs.

"I want to meet you soon… Naruto…"

* * *

Sasuke opened the door to his room, dodged the pillow that was thrown to him, and leaned against the wall facing his bed. Naruto was curled up on his bed, and he was now pulling himself up by his arms and legs, quite looking like a fox kit that he was. His fangs were bared, and red glint was around the edge of his pupils. As expected, Naruto was very angry.

"What did I do wrong?" Naruto spat, his eyes narrowing. "If you're pissed off about something, just say it! Why did you leave all of a sudden? Why are you acting like such a jerk again?!"

Sasuke crossed his arms across his chest, lowering his head. He watched Naruto from corner of his eyes as he slowly said, "It's not you. Something came up."

"So what's wrong?" Naruto crouched down further on the bed, his eyes further narrowing. "I'm not going to forgive you if you don't give me a really, really good reason, so you'd better spit it out!"

Sasuke felt something pounding on his skull. Another headache. He lowered his head further and tried to come up with something to mollify the bristling kitten. 'I suddenly discovered that you're really pretty!' would not cut it. Neither would 'I was gawking at how cute you were when you were drenched with water'. 'I was contemplating whether to jump you or not when you were dressing'… was going into a dangerous territory. Sasuke felt his ears redden at the very thought. He was definitely becoming weirder the longer he stayed with this loud-mouthed, obnoxious fox boy.

"I was reminded of my older brother when I was washing you, so I grew uncomfortable. My brother used to wash my back when we were younger."

There was a brief silence. Sasuke realized that he must be getting dumber as well as weirder, because his lies were becoming more lame. All those years of learning to lie flawlessly and keeping his emotions to himself were crumbling right in front of him, and it was all because of Naruto. But somehow Sasuke didn't mind that his life was so dramatically screwing up since he met Naruto.

Naruto's eyes cleared back into its original blue. "Oh, hey, then you should've just said so. Uchiha is really dishonest, isn't he!" Naruto pulled himself up into a sitting position. "I don't have any siblings, so I don't know how you feel. But I lost my parents, too, you know. You can tell me stuff, and I'll listen."

Sasuke gave Naruto a very superior look. "You want me to consult with a dimwit like you? I'd rather talk to the wall."

"Shut your trap and listen, because we promised to be friends and that's a big deal for me." Naruto looked up at Sasuke with unusually serious expression, and Sasuke obediently closed his mouth. "My parents were both killed by human beings, but one of my parent's killers pitied their kit and raised me among humans. The one who raised me was village leader of the place I came from, and—I liked him very much. He was a stupid old fart, but he was very kind to me."

Sasuke opened his mouth, but Naruto cut in. "I only met your brother twice, but he seems to care for you very much. I don't know all the circumstances around your parents' death, and humans are more complicated than us demons. But if you try to solve everything by yourself, you'll be all alone." He took a deep breath before he quietly added, "Being alone is very painful…"

"You want me to forgive that man? The one who made my life a living hell?" Sasuke coldly asked. "Until his blood stains my hands, I cannot lift my head up. My parents must be avenged."

Naruto humorlessly laughed. "…and what will that solve?"

"It will prove my reason for existence."

"And when it's over? When your brother is dead, what will be your reason for existence? Will you die after you kill your brother?"

Sasuke turned his head away, biting into his lower lip. Naruto quietly watched Sasuke, then turned his head away as well.

"…I'll be sad if you die. I don't understand what you're thinking, and you're so complicated that I don't think I'll ever understand. But I don't want you to die."

"…"

Sasuke lifted his head up again. He walked over to sit next to Naruto. Naruto lifted his head up to look at Sasuke. Sasuke looked back at him. Then Sasuke's hand reached out to circle Naruto's cheek.

"Then," Sasuke quietly said. "Then after Itachi's blood has been shed, I shall live for you."

Naruto's eyes widened almost comically. "…Huh?"

Naruto numbly watched as Sasuke took his left hand and lightly kissed the tip of each digit. Sasuke dropped the limp hand and stood up. "I have lessons now."

Sasuke paused before he left the room, his hand resting against the doorframe. He turned from the door to look at Naruto. A hint of smile was on his lips. "…Even if you were lying… Thank you."

Long time after Sasuke left, Naruto stayed on the bed, not moving from his position. Then his shoulders finally shagged and Naruto dropped on the bed, burying his head on the blanket. The blanket smelled like Sasuke. Cool, minty, tangy and repellant like a citrus, but somehow sweet, like a hint of vanilla had been added at the last moment. Naruto suddenly realized that his heart was beating very rapidly, and he curled up tighter on his spot. He nervously bit into his lower lip with his canine.

"I don't know much about having a friend, but… Sasuke feels different from my first friend… What is this feeling…"

Naruto closed his eyes.

"It kind of hurts."

* * *

To Be Continued

Kuooooo!!! What is this, Shiro! What is this massive fluff?! [laughs] I've read my very first fan fiction in Korean and nearly died at its coolness! Korean and Japanese writings are cool, after all. They're just… Nn. There is that atmosphere that English just can't convey. Of course, talented English writers also have this coolness that an Asian language just can't convey (translated version of Sherlock Holmes can never match up to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing). But I'm an Asian, so Asian writing gives me warm and familiar feelings after all. X3 The fan fiction I have read was a Kaiba x Jounouchi fan fiction, called 'What You Have Stolen Was My Heart' by One Turn Kill-nim. Perhaps the sweetness of that fiction affected normally angst-loving Shiro. Anyway, this chapter was filled with unusual amount of cream and sugar and cheesy dialogues.

A-a. Yet another bath scene, combined with SasuNaruGaara love triangle. Gaara is so cute! If Sasurin did not exist, I would have been very happy to give Naru-hime to Gaara-kichi. As it is, SasuNaru is still Shiro's favorite, even with Sasuke acting very psychotic and un-husband-like lately. (Actually, I like psychotic, angsty Sasurin very much.) I might do something with current half-crazed Sasurin. Well, if I draw/write anything on current Naruto comic, I'm certain it will become NC-17 hardcore SM material, but… [coughs]

Thank you very much for the congratulating my birthday (frankly I'm horrified that I'm getting older… At this rate I'll be older than all my favorite anime characters and I'll be arrested for molesting children! [sweats]), and giving thoughtful comments for this undeserving writer. Nn, unfortunately this story is beautifully defying my outline, so I'm not quite sure what will happen (Kakashi and Gaara were definitely not supposed to appear in this chapter…), but please follow me all the way to the end!

Favorite dialogues of this chapter: "Omee ga shinjau no wa… iya datte ba yo(I don't want you to die)." "Ore datte… Sonna koto shiruka yo… Kuso dobe(How would I know such things, damned dunce)." "Hayaku ai tai na… Naruto…(I want to meet you soon, Naruto)" - They sounded less cheesy in Japanese! [laughs]


	6. Imperfection

Naruto was curled up, his arms loosely around Itachi's waist. His head was resting on Itachi's lap. Itachi himself was absorbed in taking care of important documents that contained words that Naruto could barely pronounce. Naruto was incessantly talking, and Itachi was ignoring him as best as he could.

This morning, with a huge grin on his face, Naruto had declared, "Itachi Niichan! I came to play!" Itachi had done his best to get rid of the pest, but Naruto insisted that he was bored, and somehow he was stuck with the child. Naruto was currently fascinated with Itachi's hair.

"It's really cool, Niichan! Why are you growing your hair long? Human boys usually don't keep their hair long, right? It's all shiny and black and soft! Look, if you hold it out to sunlight it becomes blue—"

"Uzumaki," Itachi patiently said. "Please do shut up."

"Ee? Are you mad? Don't be mad; Uchiha gets mad at me all the time and it's really irritating." Naruto's voice died out at the drastic change that came over Itachi's face. "…what did I say?"

"You… are acquainted with my little brother?"

Naruto shyly smiled at the question. "Mm-hm, we're really good friends. He said he's going to take me outside to play today. Sometimes he's really mean, but he's nice in his own way. He looks really pretty when he smiles, but most of the time he's frowning."

Itachi's hand gently pressed against Naruto's cheek, where the telltale whisker scars were engraved. He softly said, "…you are the fox demon."

"That's right," Naruto cheerfully said.

"…did you sleep with Sasuke?"

"I sure did! We sleep together every single night!" Naruto snuggled against Itachi's leg when Itachi shifted. "He has a really sweet scent, and he's really warm."

Itachi lightly sighed, then a soft smile crossed his lips. "…I am glad to hear that you are fond of him. Please make him happy."

Naruto lifted his head to look at Itachi questioningly, but Itachi had gone back to reading the stacks of reports filed on his desk.

* * *

Dai 6 Wa: –Broken Promise- You Don't have to be Perfect, You Know.

* * *

Downpour.

"Damn," Sasuke muttered under his breath as he wiped water with the back of his hand. The rain continued to pour down on his head, rapidly blurring his vision. As soon as he had wiped the water away from his eyes, more water obscured his sight. The light spring robe he had on felt soggy, and the silk shoes made squishy noise every time he took a step forward.

The day was very fine this morning. After breakfast was eaten, Naruto endlessly pestered Sasuke to let him play outside, and Sasuke had grudgingly agreed to take him outside after his work was finished. Sasuke himself had been pleased that he could spend more time with the child. Even with the rain Sasuke had tried to get home early, but the rain slowed his horse down, and Sasuke realized that he couldn't keep his promise after all.

"Uchiha?"

Sasuke squinted to see through the rain. At the gate of the Uchiha manor stood Naruto, a red umbrella clutched in his hands. Sasuke felt guilty. Naruto was so excited about the trip that he was waiting in this rain for his return, but he had to disappoint him. But Sasuke kept his emotions to himself. Only cold words greeted Naruto.

"Welcome ho—"

"You dimwit. What are you doing out in this rain?"

"Ah…" Naruto shrank back. His lowered eyes told Sasuke that he had hurt him. "I… It was raining, so I thought I'd bring you an umbrella. You'll catch a cold if your fur gets wet, you know."

"What good is an umbrella when I'm already soaked? Are you getting more dumb each day?" Sasuke snapped. "Anyway, I'm not a hydrophobic, unsanitary, _barbaric_ demon like you, so never you mind about my state of health!"

Naruto stared at Sasuke, his eyes widened with disbelief. Slowly his expression crumpled as he stepped further away from Sasuke. The hurt expression quickly changed to that of anger, and the small body trembled in fury.

"Fine… Fine!" Naruto yelled. "That's just like you humans, thinking you're all that great when you are all just ignorant, blundering fools—"

Naruto chucked his umbrella at Sasuke, and Sasuke caught the object out of reflex. Water rapidly ran down Naruto's face as his cloth became soaked. Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto was crying or if it was only rain that was running down his cheeks, but his blue eyes were trembling.

"I hate someone like Uchiha."

Naruto turned away and ran back into the manor, his feet barely making any sound in the downpour. Sasuke kept the umbrella lowered, staring across the space with unseeing eyes, his hands grasping the umbrella so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He slowly lifted his head up to look up into the sky, his long dark locks of hair washing away from his face as torrents of water ran along contours of his face. Gently, as if he's afraid that the umbrella would break if he held it too tightly, Sasuke gathered the umbrella into his arms, pressing his cheek against the wet, cold surface of the nylon.

* * *

The blade of the knife flashed against the sunlight in a dazzling silver before the knife was buried in the soft flesh. Cool, refreshing scent spilled out from the wound, and Iruka gathered the spilled liquid with the tip of his finger, softly humming wordless song to himself. Dexterous fingers daftly loosened the root from the soil with help of the small knife, and the wild ginseng was finally pulled out. The rare root was added to the basket of herbs that the healer had collected thus far. Iruka straightened himself, dusted his hands, and picked up his basket.

"Why are you concealing yourself?"

Iruka's soft brown eyes had instantly hardened, and there was warning stiffness to his tone. There was a light rustle among the branches of a majestic oak tree, and then a soft laughter—like a spool of unraveling silk clothing—was heard.

"I make it my habit to stalk my prey before pouncing," gentle male voice replied. The voice was every bit as mellow as the laughter.

> Swish—

A tall figure dropped out from among the thick branches, and a man with pure white hair leaned against the tree that had hidden him moments before, firm arms crossed over his chest. His chin was buried in his chest, but his exposed eye was sharply watching every one of Iruka's moves. "Nice to meet you. I am called Hatake Kakashi."

"Your identity is of no matter to me, sir," Iruka coldly said. The normally mild-mannered man was gone. "What is your business with me?"

"I was looking for someone," Kakashi replied. "But I changed my mind when I saw you. I think I want to prey upon you, my good sir."

Iruka stepped back, his hand instinctively reaching for poisoned needles and sharp hand knives tucked in his shirt. "You want my life. But what have I done to cause such ill will towards me?"

Kakashi's shoulders lightly trembled, and he covered his mouth—this was unnecessary, since his mouth was covered with a mask anyway—before he chuckled, his head lowering further. "Ah. No, no, it is not your life that I want. For someone of your age and your heritage—you are very naïve. But that just adds to your charms. I did think, when I first saw you, that you would be not familiar with our ways, but."

"What nonsense are you rambling?!" Iruka snapped. His patience was wearing thin. The tip of his fingers lightly rested against the handle of various weapons he was carrying, ready to start attacking at an instant. "Cut out the garbage and get to the point! What do you want?!"

White blur, rush of wind, black silk clothing scattering among the wind before it rested against his cheek. Iruka blinked up at the sky. It was endlessly stretched out, and there were light, fluffy cloud floating around in twos and threes. Something heavy was resting against his stomach. Dark eyes, filled with confusion, slowly traveled down to the source of the weight. Kakashi was grinning back at him, his hands firmly pinning his own arms to his sides. The grin was irritating.

"Tsk, tsk, you mustn't be so easy to anger. I'll get right down to the point, then, since you seem rather unhappy." Silk mask-covered lips descended to lightly kiss Iruka's nose. Iruka's eyes widened, and he started to struggle underneath the other man. Kakashi seemed amused by this as he drawled out, "I want to court you."

"I'm not of the female gender!" Iruka snapped, struggling even further. "Let me go! What are you doing?!"

Kakashi burst into a fresh peal of laughter. "Female? You've been living among the humans far too long. You know as well as I—"

Iruka stopped his struggles, his expression slowly stiffening as Kakashi finished his sentence.

"—that you are a demon. Demons don't have genders, now, do they?"

* * *

"Uchiha is an idiot, idiot, idiot," Naruto furiously murmured, clutching a pillow tightly against his chest. "I just… I just wanted to be closer friends with him, because he makes me feel all warm and soft and mellow, but he's a big fat idiot! I hate someone like Uchiha. I'm never being nice to him again!"

"What are you mumbling to yourself, you dimwit?" Icy voice asked. Naruto lifted his head. Unshed furious tears were clinging to the edge of his eyes. He pouted and turned his head away, hugging the pillow even closer against himself.

Crap, he's sulking.

Sasuke stubbornly turned his head away as well. How _dare_ he make him feel this way? He, that lowly demon fox that popped out of no where, dared to make the all-mighty Sasuke, the great lord of the Fire Country, feel so confused and it hurt when Naruto was angry and he wanted Naruto to look at him but that was bad; that would mean that he was falling in love with a demon, heaven forbid. His thoughts were getting jumbled up, his emotions were overflowing, and he still couldn't do anything but throw tantrum like a child because he couldn't make his feelings reach Naruto.

What was he feeling towards Naruto, anyway?

Was it lust? Love? Affection? Friendship? This feeling that made his heart tremble, that increased his pulse, that made him long to be near Naruto. What was it?

"…why do you hate me?" A timid voice asked. Sasuke's head snapped up at that. Naruto was avoiding his eyes. "Sometimes you are, you know, really nice and all, but most of the times… You act like you hate being near me. I thought you wanted to be friends with me, but you…"

"It's because you're such a brainless moron," Sasuke spat. He wanted to fight with Naruto. At least hatred was an emotion he knew well. This new emotion that the fox kit invoked in him was frightening and unfamiliar. But Naruto refused to take the bait.

"I don't have a lot of friends, you know. There is this oniichan I met, but he died. And then the occhan I met couldn't leave his village, so I'll probably never see him again. You're the third 'friend' I made… But you're so mean to me. It hurts when you're mean, Uchiha. Because…"

Naruto finally met his eyes with Sasuke.

-Thump.

"Everyone hates me…"

"That's why I have to keep saying that you're a dunce!" Sasuke exploded. "I don't hate you-- I don't know _what_ I feel towards you, but it's not hatred! I know more than enough about that emotion, and that's not how I feel towards you!"

Such thorn-filled words. What was he trying to accomplish? With his coarse, bloody hands, he couldn't embrace Naruto. He couldn't protect or comfort him. The only thing he was doing was to hurt him. Because he was not used to being loved, or love someone in return.

"I was happy when you said 'I don't want you to die'. I was happy when I met you. But you annoy me so much. You're so disobedient, and _stupid_, and coarse, and I have no idea why—"

--why I have grown to like you so much.

Thump, thump… The beating of heart against his chest felt painful. Sasuke clutched his hands into fists, because his hands were trembling. He had half an urge to punch the light of Naruto, and half an urge to embrace him.

"Why are you scared?"

Sasuke startled and nearly bit his tongue in two. His flawless skin wrinkled as he frowned, the corners of his lips being drawn tightly. "What…?"

Naruto poked his head out from behind the pillow he was holding. "Like today. If it was cold and you were tired, you could have just told me. You don't have to pretend you're perfect all the time. You're a human. Why do you put up such a false image? You'll only get tired in the end if you try to please everyone, if you try to be such a good child. We're friends, so I don't mind even if you depend on me."

"I am perfect," Sasuke snarled. He felt like he was choking. It hurt. If his heart beat anymore, it would burst out from his ribcage. Why? Why was he looking at him like that? "I'm every bit as good as him--I'm strong. I don't need anyone. And to think I have to show my weak self to someone like you—"

Because I want to be strong enough to protect you.

Naruto tilted his head to one side. "But we're still only kits. If you try to protect yourself with such a thick shell, no one can reach you. Don't you want me to protect you?"

"What?!"

"Because I'm a boy… Of course I would want to protect those who are precious to me with my own hands, right? Isn't that the same with Uchiha?" In that idiotic and honest face, there was puzzlement, as if Naruto was confused as to why Sasuke refused to let Naruto see the weak side of himself.

Sasuke deeply sighed. "…when I talk to you, I get tired… And you make my head hurt."

"That has nothing to do with me. That's because you walked around in the rain, and you still haven't changed out of your wet clothing," Naruto retorted. "Here, I'll wash you. Shake yourself well afterwards."

"Wha… Wait! Uzumaki, wait, what are you doing!"

Because Naruto had walked over to Sasuke and had started to _lick_ him. Tiny pink tongue gingerly worked at licking away moisture on Sasuke's cheek, while small body was closely pressed against Sasuke, dainty hands resting firmly against Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke felt strength drain out of his body as the warm tongue ran along smooth line of his cheek, down to his chin. His legs felt weak. It was ticklish, but not unpleasantly so. Naruto had to stand on tip toes to 'clean' Sasuke's forehead, followed by gentle licks to his eyelids. Sasuke's hands, which had limply hung by his sides, slowly reached up and wrapped around Naruto's slim waist. Naruto's tongue reached Sasuke's lips, and his tongue quickly darted on the soft, thin flesh, licking away the water that had gathered around the firm mouth.

Something seemed to snap inside Sasuke. He tightly pulled Naruto against him, crushing his lips against Naruto's lips.

"Fu, fue?! Uchiha? Wait…"

Ignoring the stifled cries, Sasuke kissed Naruto. Naruto struggled against him, attempting to say some words of protest, but this only allowed Sasuke entrance to Naruto's mouth. Sasuke's tongue aggressively wrapped itself around Naruto's tongue. Naruto trembled in Sasuke's arms, his confused eyes searching Sasuke's face. But Sasuke had closed his eyes.

"Uuu…"

Naruto finally managed to break away from Sasuke. His hands flew to his mouth, and he covered his mouth as he stared at Sasuke. Sasuke stared back at him, his own face quite expressionless. Then Naruto exploded.

"What… What are you doing?! Putting your tongue in another person's mouth-- That's _unsanitary_! Anyway, boys are not supposed to kiss each other! It's gross enough that you took my first kiss!"

"Property should not complain about what his master does to him," Sasuke said, hint of a smirk lingering on his lips. "Anyway, you're not a 'boy'. You're a kitten."

"Uchiha…"

A vein was throbbing at the side of Naruto's head as his smile turned murderous. He screamed, "Uchiha is a lecherous idiot octopus!!! Forget about what I said, I don't want to be friends with a pervert like you--!!!"

And the reproachful remarks were accompanied with a pillow that smacked Sasuke right on his face and wiped the smirk off of his face.

* * *

To Be Continued

…I think my stupidity is rubbing off on Kishimoto-sensei's characters… Please forgive me, Kishimoto-sensei! I didn't do it on purpose! ;; Nn, for the purposes of the storyline, I set Sasuke and Naruto's age to eighteen years old, but they're acting like kindergarteners. Sasuke harasses Naruto because he likes him, so that Naruto would pay attention to him. And Naruto… Sometimes he acts mature, but most of the times he acts like an idiot. Haaa. (I don't care anymore…)

Wahahahaha! My theory about Sasuke's family was right! Sasuke's father was a demanding, cold father, and Itachi was a sweet, kind older brother inside! His harassment of Sasuke was just a twisted expression of love! (Not really…) My favorite character recently changed from Itachi to Sasuke. He's just too evil and cute! But Sasuke, if you harass Naru-hime too much, he might grow to hate you… =3=;;; On a side note, it seems Korean pronounciation for 'sharingan' is 'sa ryun an'. That's... that's so cool! Waaaa!!! [kira kira]

Baby Sasuke was so cute… Even compared with cute babies like Naruto and Gaara, Sasuke's cuteness surpasses them! (No, that's just my personal obsession with him…) His fat little cheeks and huge black eyes makes me want to pinch his cheeks and buy him candies. "Ufufu. Sasurin, Oniichan is not a bad person Follow Oniichan and Oniichan will buy you a candy!" Of course, Sasuke's reaction would be "…Get away from me before I kill you (or worse, tell on my big brother), you perverted ossan(!!!)…" ;;; (Following strangers is a no-no. Good boy, Sasuke.) But unlike current Sasuke, baby Sasuke smiles easily, expresses his emotions freely, often gets hurt, and he was a timid, lovely little baby. And… It seems both Itachi and Sasuke got their looks from their mother… [laughs]


	7. Intimate

Kakashi was absorbed in the newest copy of an adult novel, his body leaning against the tree behind him. The shade of the tree made the glaring whiteness of the page less tiresome for the eyes. It was fun teasing Iruka, but the said man was currently extremely angry with him and had shut himself up in his room. Kakashi was prepared to wait for hours, if needed to be. Turning a page, Kakashi diverted his eyes from rather questionable illustrations and sharply looked up at the approaching figure.

The small figure had an aura similar to Iruka's, but so faint that he almost missed it. It was aura of a demon that had spent much of his life with human beings; a faded out scent mingled heavily with scent of humans. He had the telltale scar on his cheeks, as Iruka had scar on the bridge of his nose. But- perhaps it was because he was still a child- his demonic aura was really nothing to concern himself about.

"Uchiha, wait! We didn't pick up our lunch yet!" The child cried out. He slipped and fell on his face. Metallic scent of blood reached Kakashi's nose, and he frowned as the child started to whine and complain. Not only was he clumsy, he was needlessly loud.

He was either only half demon or one of the lowest ranking demons.

He turned his eyes away and went back to reading his book while Sasuke returned to help Naruto stand up and yell at him for being stupid.

* * *

Dai 7 Wa: -Intimacy- Trembling Fingers Easily Contact Cold Body.

* * *

One calls feelings like this 'fondness'. Naruto was certain of that. When he saw Sasuke, he wanted him to smile, and he was 'happy' just by being with him. Even more so then any of other friends he made in the past, the 'friendship' with Sasuke was special. He tried to be nice because he wanted to see his smile no matter what, but Sasuke was always cold. That made him unhappy. Why won't he realize his feelings? Why did he keep pushing him away when he wanted to be closer friends with him?

"Uzumaki? What are you doing with such a dumb expression?"

Again he said distasteful things. With his pretty face, with his well-shaped lips, he carelessly spat out hurtful words. Naruto suppressed his anger with an effort and forced a smile upon his lips. He wanted to be closer to him. He liked him. But like an idiot, his words shook.

"It feels really great to be outside after such a long time, so. The fragrance of the grass, the scent of earth—I like them all. But I guess Uchiha doesn't like them. Sorry, let's return soon."

He was bullying him without a reason because Naruto wouldn't spare him a glance, but if he said such gentle things, he felt guilty. Sasuke felt embarrassed, so he frowned. The feeling of liking another boy child felt strange. He was even more upset that he looked like a fool because he kept acting stubborn, even though he liked Naruto. Sasuke turned his head slightly away and complained, "What do you want me to do if you just stupidly sit there after I went through the trouble of bringing you out? If you're going to do that, just stay home, you dumb ass."

The thought that 'Sasuke really hates me' automatically popped up, and he became saddened. The shoulders limped down, and Naruto lowly murmured.

"…But I want to be near Uchiha."

Everyday Sasuke would leave as soon as the sun rose over the horizon and returned late at night because of his work and studies. But now Sasuke was staying near him, so he was happy, but certainly this was only bothersome for Sasuke. He was a kind child, so he bothered to bring him out like this, but if he got annoyed Naruto wanted to cry.

At Naruto's words Sasuke's face flashed uncertainty, but Naruto had his head lowered, so he missed it. His face threatened to turn red, so he turned his head away even more. Naruto would say such embarrassing—or rather, suggestive—things so easily. This made him feel like even more of a jerk, so it put him in an even worse mood. Why could he only treat him this way? The two stayed quiet. Heavy silence flew, and Sasuke finally opened his lips.

"…Aren't you hungry?"

Like a small child, mention of food instantly brightened Naruto up, and he smiled. That smile was so innocent and pretty that Sasuke couldn't help but thinking that he's 'cute'.

"Yup, I want to eat lunch The Oneechan-tachi at kitchen packed up lots of yummy things for us! They promised to give me a lot of milk, too."

He was a fox kit after all. It was obvious that he would like milk, but somehow that seemed cute, too. Sasuke suppressed the smile that rose to his lips and coldly said, "Are you a child? Grinning like a fool with mere mention of food."

Naruto's eyes widened. He replied as if Sasuke's question was a rhetorical one.

"Eighteen is still a cub, of course. Uchiha tries too hard to act like an adult. For us to be adult fox, we need at least another hundred years—"

"Humans usually die at the age of seventy, you dead last."

While unwrapping the lunch they brought, Sasuke snapped back. Unsavory scream spaghetti, potato croquette, and shrimp tempura. Just how did they manage to choose all the food that he hated? He hated these kinds of foreign or oily food. But since Naruto liked them, Sasuke pushed aside his dislike and gave a pair of chopsticks to Naruto. The latter was starting at him with a stupid expression, his mouth slightly open, so he yelled 'what?' to him.

"…Die? That…fast?"

Naruto asked with a face like he would cry. Things like death didn't scared Sasuke, so he gave him a light nod. One is helpless against death, after all. Naruto became even more upset and softly murmured as he received his share of lunch: "I don't like that. I… want to be friends with you for all of my life."

"I have no intention of remaining friends with the likes of you," Sasuke dryly said, picking up his chopsticks. To remain only as a 'friend' for life… would truthfully sadden him, a little. Of course Naruto would never think of him that way, but.

"You!" Naruto's temper finally exploded. "You're so mean! Why are you like this since morning?! You said you don't hate me! I wanted to be friends with you, so… I didn't want to fight with you, so I tried my best to be sweet to you! You liar! I… I like being with Uchiha, and I think your smiles are pretty, but!"

He kept shouting out words, not being able to calm himself down, and then with 'bieee—', he ended up crying. Aa. This was not what Sasuke wanted; this was the worst. Sasuke hurriedly wiped Naruto's tears away, and ended up tightly hugging him. Why did he get hurt so easily and cried when he was nothing more than foul-mouthed, vulgar-mannered demon?

"Don't… cry."

When uncertain hands embraced him, Naruto sniffled and dug into his chest. Naruto thought that he couldn't help but like Sasuke, because Sasuke was a rude jerk, but sometimes he was so gentle. With sleeve of his shirt, Sasuke wiped his mucus away, and he gave him his chopsticks. Naruto ate his lunch, still sniffing a little. Sasuke quietly watched Naruto, and then he ate a little of the rice himself. While looking at the side dishes, his expression crumpled again. Surely, eating such things would murder his stomach. He picked at his food. Naruto picked up chopstick full of side dishes and held the food up against Sasuke's lips.

"…What do you think you're doing, Uzumaki."

"Being picky with your food; that's bad. A boy child should play well, eat well, and sleep well. My hand hurts, so hurry and eat it."

Because he said that with such rascal-like grin, Sasuke decided not to say 'that only applies to you, not boy child'. He held mouthful of food and chewed it up. He hated the food after all. Even being a demon fox, Naruto only liked proletariat's food, like ramen and miso soup. Not only that, he dared to challenge his own elegant eating habits.

"It feels like I have a wife. Why don't you just become my bride?"

After he said that without thinking, Sasuke immediately regretted it. He said it in such a serious way that he couldn't even say that it was only a joke. Not only that, but he said such distasteful things to a boy child. He was so embarrassed that his face felt like it was burning up. When he dared to glance at Naruto's face, he was even more surprised. The cute face became bright red and his huge blue eyes were staring at him. At such a strange response, Sasuke felt even more embarrassed, so he added, "I was being sarcastic, you dimwit. Who would want to marry a loser like you?"

An unmistakable look of hurt crossed the childish face. Naruto slowly withdrew the chopstick he held against Sasuke's lips. With painfully obvious fake smile, he exclaimed, "Hey, who wants to get married, anyway?"

'If it's with you, I want to get married.'

But that was such an idiotic thought that Sasuke forced it into the deepest corner of his mind. A person of his position didn't have the freedom to follow his heart. With continuously expanding territory and constant rebellion, both from discontent citizens and angry demons, Sasuke needed to use his marriage to strengthen his country's position. Sasuke and his potential brides all knew that they were nothing but mere tools; something to be sacrificed for the sake of idiotic human diplomacy.

Why did that thought made his heart clench this painfully?

"Uchiha…" Naruto's forced smile slowly broke apart. "I like you. I really do. But somehow it really hurts when I'm with you. I'm happy that I met you, that I'm with you, but it really hurts. I wonder why?"

It hurts…

His heart throbbed even more painfully, and he did not have an answer to that, so Sasuke ignored the question. Naruto, who was expectantly watching Sasuke, sighed and sat back at his indifferent expression. "A-a, this sucks," he lowly muttered. The fox kit's false smile easily broke away, and he rested his head against his knees as he stared across the wide-open meadow. The green grass stretched out endlessly at either side of them, only interrupted by a small river that ran across the land, the droplets of gurgling water sparkling whenever they caught the sunlight. Gentle breeze swept across the smooth green carpet, causing larger ripples in the water. Naruto suddenly leapt up from his seat.

"Na, Uchiha, do you want to see who can run faster? It's boring just sitting around here like this, right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"…if you want to be stupid, by all means go ahead and do so. But please do not involve me in your activities."

"Aw, come on, Uchiha! It'll help you digest your lunch better!"

Naruto had suddenly thrust his hand out in front of him, so Sasuke—more out of reflex than any conscious decision—took hold of the slightly smaller hand and slowly pulled himself to his feet. Naruto didn't immediately let go of his hand, instead placing his other hand on top of it and curiously looking at the slender digits.

"What?" Sasuke asked, irritated. Another idiot-like laugh, then Naruto held up Sasuke's hand.

"Your hand is a lot bigger than I thought. I drink a lot of milk, but I wonder why I'm not growing up? You should drink milk, too, even if you're big. You're probably angry all the time because you don't get enough calcium, Uchiha."

"What?!"

"Ehehe. Kidding, kidding. Don't be mad." Naruto quickly dropped Sasuke's hand and stepped back before Sasuke yelled at him more. He abruptly winked, turned, and started to run.

"Ah! Uzumaki, you cheater!" Sasuke cried, but without any real malevolence. Naruto was brightly laughing as he ran ahead, his voice scattering among the light breeze in silvery peals of laughter. Sasuke let a hint of smile to slip as well before he ran after Naruto. Immediate rush of anticipation made him shiver as his feet trod the soft earth underneath him, self-created breeze mingling with natural wind to cool his heating cheeks. He wasn't even sure how he could win this race, but that didn't really matter. Just catching up to the blur of gold and orange running ahead of him was all that mattered right now.

It happened instantly. There was a sharp cry, and dust and torn grass were tossed into the air to blur his vision. Before Sasuke could emit any sound, Naruto had been snatched out of his view, and with a loud splash burst of water rose into the air, briefly creating mist and rainbows in the azure sky.

"Sasuke!" A high-pitched scream rose. Without thinking Sasuke crouched down as he neared the place where Naruto had disappeared, his body smoothly sliding down the steep slope that met the river at the bottom. His hair got into his eyes, and he impatiently wiped them away and lifted his body as he put pressure on his feet, jumping off the slope to dive into the clear water underneath him.

The current was faster than it had looked on dry land, and Naruto desperately splashed against the water that threatened to pull him underneath. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die! "Sasuke!" He cried again, clawing at the fluid around him fruitlessly. It was cold. His lung felt like they were on fire. There was metallic taste at the back of his throat and at the base of his nose, and he coughed and spluttered as he swallowed more water.

Strong arms encircled his waste, and warmth surrounded his body. 'Sasuke,' Naruto thought, basking in the familiar fragrance and warmth as the other boy struggled to get back to shore. Sasuke himself was not a bad swimmer, but another body clinging for dear life as he tried to swim in fast current was not an easy task, and by the time he reached the edge of the water he was exhausted. But he immediately dragged Naruto's body out, concern unconsciously expressed on his normally stoic face as he brushed wet strands of Naruto's hair out of his eyes.

"Naruto?" Sasuke softly asked, his hand against his cheek. Naruto's skin was visibly pale, and it was cold to the touch. Sasuke gently shook Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto. Hang in there. Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes opened into small slits. The blue that flashed through almost closed eyelids was frighteningly dull; almost milky in color. Naruto turned his head away and started to throw the excess water up. Sasuke wasn't quite sure what to do, so he patted Naruto's head, worriedly watching him. When Naruto finished, he quietly lay, his chest heaving up and down in irregular rhythm. His cold hand reached out to clutch Sasuke's sleeve, and his lower lip trembled before he started to cry.

"I feel awful…"

"Shhh, it's all right now," Sasuke softly said. "Do you want to throw up some more? Shall I help you sit up?"

Naruto shook his head. He clung closer to Sasuke, continuously crying like a frightened child. "Sasuke, it's cold…"

Sasuke gently helped Naruto sit up and started to peel the wet clothing away from the cooling body. Hopefully the sun would be enough to warm Naruto up. When Naruto was only in his undergarments, Sasuke started to squeeze the water out of the bright orange jumper suit and lay the clothes out to dry on the grass. Naruto had his arms wrapped around Sasuke's waist, quietly watching him. He then sniffled and softly said, "Sorry…"

"That's all right, Kitten, as long as you're safe," Sasuke said. In his relief, his voice came out gentler than he intended. He started to undress as well. Naruto latched onto him again as soon as he was finished. The contact of bare skin shocked him, and Sasuke sharply snapped, "Uzumaki! Let go!"

"Ah… sorry," Naruto said, hurriedly letting go of him, his eyes widened. "It's just… I'm cold…"

"Ah…"

Sasuke hesitated before he stretched his arms open. Naruto gave him a watery smile before latching onto him again, his cheek resting against his neck. Sasuke sharply breathed in. He couldn't remember the last time having someone touch him bare skin to bare skin. Naruto's skin was cold, but pleasantly soft. His heart, which was nearly touching his own heart, was beating rapidly, and Sasuke unconsciously tightened his hold on Naruto. Unexplainable things were stirring inside of him, and suddenly his body felt hot. His fingers gently wrapped around Naruto's cheeks to pull his face towards his own, and Sasuke lowered his head and gently started to kiss away water droplets that still ran down his face.

"Eh? Uchiha?" Naruto asked. This… was not the normal way of cleaning up. Sasuke pressed his forehead against his, his coal-black eyes flashing rather dangerously. There was a strange predatory glint to them, causing Naruto to unwillingly flinch and slightly back away.

"I can warm you up," Sasuke softly said—or rather, growled, his long eyelashes shadowing his eyes as he lowered his eyes. "Would you like that, Uzumaki?"

Naruto smiled uneasily. "Um. Sure," he finally said, even though somehow he felt he shouldn't allow Sasuke to touch him. The way Sasuke was looking at him was scaring him. But… surely Sasuke would never hurt him.

It was a while before Sasuke was able to think in relatively composed manner. The first thought that came to him was 'oh, shit, what have I done?' and the second was 'what am I going to do about this?'. It wasn't that sleeping with Naruto had been anything he was not allowed to do; after all, doing such things had been Naruto's true purposes for staying with him. But even though that was the excuse he had used, he himself had no intention of defiling the other boy's body at the beginning. But as he stayed with him, he grew to like him so much that he had ended up doing awful things to him. He had broken his promise with Naruto.

Naruto, his body no longer cold but dirtied, was curled up in Sasuke's arms, peacefully sleeping. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders and buried his face in the soft golden hair, whispering words that he couldn't honestly tell Naruto.

"I like you…"

* * *

To be Continued

Ehehe. I'm not a good writer to begin with, but when I start to write anything even remotely ecchi(perverted), my head just goes blank. ;;; You'll have to forgive me; I'm doing my best. (I'll probably get scolded for writing such an awful H. Fueee.) In the old tales, demon foxes and such seem to easily live up to 1000 years, so I set 10 human years as 1 demon year. Which would make Naruto roughly 2 years old in demon years. (Does, does that make this chapter shotacon?! I didn't mean to do that! )

In Japan, they say you get angry easily if you don't get enough calcium in your diet. I'm not sure if that has any real biological basis. [laughs] Well, calcium definitely helps you grow taller. I read in a fan comic that Sasuke likes strawberry milk, and that sounded really cute. Personally, Sasuke seems like the type to drink skim milk or soy milk, but… Does he even like milk? (On a side note, Naruto seems like the type to like chocolate or banana milk.)

Did you notice how Sasuke and Naruto addressed each other changed at times? That was deliberately done, so if you complain about that, I might cry. ;P The uncut version of this chapter, as usual, can be found in the yahoo group listed in my profile.


	8. Confusion

It was late at night when Sasuke returned. Naruto was still sleeping, so Sasuke left Naruto on his bed and went to retrieve a towel. Naruto was bleeding.

After Sasuke reasonably cleaned Naruto up, he tucked the kit in and sat on the edge of the bed, watching the sleeping child. He had his hand curled up in a fist, the hand lightly resting against his lips. In all appearance he still looked innocent, and the only outer mark that showed what he had just done to Naruto was the dark kiss marks he had left on Naruto's neck. Sasuke lightly touched the skin and felt dirty. It wasn't that he regretted that his first time had been with Naruto; in fact, he was rather happy about that. But Naruto didn't even know what Sasuke was doing to him, and Sasuke knew he had taken advantage of Naruto's trust and naivety.

At the same time that he felt guilty, feeling of possessiveness and the need to protect what he had claimed as his filled Sasuke's young heart. With conflicting emotions, Sasuke lowered his body to the bed and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Dai 8 Wa: -Trembling Heart- Why Won't You Notice My Feelings?

* * *

Mint and vanilla. Cool and sweet; distant yet close. Naruto slowly opened his eyes, because suddenly opening his eyes would shatter the state of half-sleep, and that few seconds of the borderline between dream and consciousness always was the best part of sleeping. Small hands sought out their partner timidly, and larger hands wrapped around his own and squeezed them reassuringly. Feeling more secure, Naruto opened his eyes.

Dark eyes filled up his view, the black satiny and soft, almost shimmering in the haze of morning sunshine. A silky strand of dark hair was crossed over the left eye, partly hiding the coal-black pupil in the center of the iris. Then the face became more distant so that Naruto could see the whole face, and the boy next to him curled his lips up in a small smirk as he softly murmured, "Morning."

Naruto lifted his face so that his forehead would be resting against the other's forehead. The place where their flesh met felt warm. But even with such realistic sensations, the current situation somehow seemed to surreal to be the reality, so Naruto smiled in return, shyly whispered "Good morning," and waited for the dream to fade away.

Few seconds of sweet serenity, and Naruto grew nervous. The dream was too prolonged. So he drew his head back and banged it against Sasuke's head.

"…#&%$!!!"

With indistinguishable sounds, Sasuke clutched his head. Naruto tilted his head to one side. "Ari? It's not a dream? Uchiha, what are you doing so close to me this early in the morning?"

And then Naruto's brilliant mind came up with a solution.

"Aaaaa! Uchiha, were you going to doodle on my face with a felt-tip marker?!"

Sasuke, his hands still clutching his forehead to try to lessen the throbbing pain, trembled in fury. "You… You… Are you an octopus?!"

"Eh? I was wrong? Oh well…" And thus losing interest in the topic, Naruto tried to sit up. Immediately his eyes widened and he fell back. He stared at the ceiling in shocked wonder, and then Naruto broke out into swearing with obscene words that Sasuke did not even know the existence of. While Naruto was scowling for all he was worth and fluidly coughing up curse after curse, Sasuke sat up. He wasn't sure what kind of expression he was supposed to make, so he settled for numbly staring at Naruto.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke finally asked when Naruto had to break his rant off to take a breath. Naruto suddenly turned his eyes towards Sasuke, and Sasuke nearly flinched at the murderous look that the fox kit was giving him.

"It's _you_!" Naruto screeched, glad for a scapegoat to vent out his frustration at being rendered immobile. "Because you put strange things in weird place like that yesterday—I told you it hurt! I told you to take it out! But would you listen? Nooooo. And now my waist hurts so much that I can't even move! I asked you to keep me warm, not to break my waist apart!"

Sasuke's face slowly turned into a color that resembled a ripe tomato. He finally covered Naruto's mouth with his hand, using his free hand to cover his own mouth. He had a feeling that he might burst couple of blood vessels in his nose if Naruto kept saying suggestive things. He furiously whispered, "Don't—don't say such things! Keep your voice down! Have you no shame?!"

"What we did was something to be ashamed of?" Naruto asked, his voice suddenly growing even more menacing. 'Oh, shit,' Sasuke thought, but it was too late. Naruto shifted and his expression crumpled again as he squirmed. "What… what did you do to me? Things keep coming out from there, and it feels like diarrhea so it's really nasty."

"…you really do have the most eloquent ways of phrasing situations, don't you," Sasuke grind out between clenched teeth. But as fast as his annoyance came, concern also rushed in, and Sasuke worriedly asked, "Are you still bleeding? Do you want me to bring a healer here?"

Naruto slowly shook his head. Every movement that caused his body to move made him cringe and bite into his lower lip with the pain it caused, and Naruto curled up into himself and looked miserable as he clutched at the blanket. Sasuke watched Naruto, considering, and then he slowly lowered his body and gathered Naruto into his arms, resting his cheek against Naruto's cheek.

Even though it hurt so much, Naruto thought that it was nice that Sasuke's scent was all over him, and that he held him so tenderly.

* * *

"But Iruka-dono—"

"I do not recall giving you the permission to call me by my first name!" Iruka snapped, pushing Kakashi away. He huffed, gathering the trailing fabric of his robe tightly around himself as he lengthened his strides. Unfortunately, Kakashi being the taller one with longer strides, this did not do much to increase the distance between himself and the unpleasant man following him.

"Don't be like that! We're already in a kind of relationship where we already did this and that; I don't see the point of pretending we're strangers when—"

Iruka had slammed the door on Kakashi's face. Kakashi had enough reflex to jump back in time so that his nose was not jammed on the door. He lowered his head until his forehead was touching the wooden surface of the door.

"Don't play so hard to get. If you anger me enough, I might do things to you that you won't like."

Even with the coaxing tone, Iruka ignored Kakashi. Kakashi smirked and leaned against the doorframe, searching for his ever-present copy of adult novels hidden in his shirt. Just when his fingers contacted against the smooth, cold surface of the novel, an intense killing aura made him clasp the kunai hidden next to it instead.

"What do you want?"

Kakashi tried not to let his surprise be shown to the youthful figure that approached him. The young man dripped of cruelty, of blood thirst, and while his eyes seemed kind and gentle on the surface, there was enough coldness within them to make even Kakashi feel slight discomfort.

"I was just passing by when I found something that I want. No other mischief intended, even though if my life is threatened I have no choice but to fight back."

Itachi's eyes turned colder. "I must ask you to leave now. Molesting my subject is not a very plausible reason for me to let you stay here."

"It's not molesting. I truly want Iruka-dono to be my spouse," Kakashi smoothly said. Even though his voice was light-hearted, his hand still fingered deadly weapons hidden within his bosom. "Demons are not subject to your rules now, are they? You cannot interfere with our courtship behaviors."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Iruka-dono does not welcome your advances."

"And yet you may not interfere."

There was silence, then Itachi lowered his eyes. "Very well. But should you present any threat, remember that your life is at my liberty."

"It is not that easy to kill me," Kakashi said, hint of amusement in his tone. He lifted his hand and lightly tapped against the door behind him. "And… If it is for possession that man, risking my life would be worth it, don't you think?"

* * *

"U-chi-haaaaaa…"

Naruto tugged at the collar of Sasuke's robe impatiently as Sasuke continued to resolutely ignore him. Naruto shifted, made a face as this reminded him of the pain in his waist, and then resumed being obnoxious.

"Uchiha-tte baaaaaa—Put me down; it's embarrassing. I told you I could walk by myself. Naaaaa, Uchiha. What if someone sees me like this?"

Sasuke tightened his hold on Naruto's body. "If it's so embarrassing, go back to your true form."

"But, but, you said they need my measurements for my new clothes. Uchiha, I'm really fine, so put me down." Naruto tugged harder at Sasuke's shirt. Since he complained of waist pain early this morning, Sasuke had been acting like he was made out of glass and refused to let him so much as lift a finger. Not only that, but when he tried to go outside, Sasuke yelled at him for not changing out of his sleeping robes. When Naruto explained that his orange jumper suit was still not dry, Sasuke had insisted on getting some clothes made for him.

Personally Naruto wasn't very willing to wear one of the flowing, girly silk gowns that Sasuke and others sported, but since Sasuke was being less of an asshole than usual, he decided to wear one for Sasuke's sake. But even if he had been willing to wear the traditional robe, he didn't want to be carried around in Sasuke's arms all day. Didn't his arms grow tired by now?

Giving up on trying to convince the stubborn Uchiha that he was capable of mobility, Naruto sighed and rested his head against Sasuke's chest. He could hear the dull, steady heartbeat of the other. Somehow Sasuke's scent was always incredibly calming, so Naruto was a bit happy that Sasuke let him stay so near him. As far as he could tell, Sasuke seemed to have some kind of phobia against anyone getting too near him. Perhaps it was claustrophobia?

"Uchiha, why don't you like to touch other people?"

Sasuke stopped walking and stared at Naruto, his expression clearly saying, 'What is this dimwit up to now?' Then he shifted his hold on Naruto, bringing the little one closer to his body. "In case you are too stupid to notice, I'll explain in plain Japanese. I am currently holding you in my arms. The verb 'hold' qualifies as an action in which you 'touch' the object in question. In other words, I'm touching you right now."

"But I'm the only one you touch," Naruto argued. "I'm not sure if it's because I'm a demon and you don't really consider me as a human, but—"

By this point, rather than the word 'dense', downright 'stupid' would describe Naruto better.

"—You never touch anyone else if you can help it. I like it when I'm in contact with other people, especially people I like, because it feels really comforting. Doesn't it comfort you when you can feel?"

Sasuke seemed to contemplate something in his mind, then his dark eyes turned to Naruto. "I…" His eyes briefly looked troubled before they cleared up. "Whenever someone else touched me, it was to hurt me. So I don't like it. When others get closer to me, I only end up being in pain."

Sasuke hesitated, then he added, "I don't mind your touches because I know you wouldn't hurt me."

Fleeting look of shock crossed over Naruto's expressive face, then the small face filled with pleasure. "So Naruto's special?"

"I, I didn't say that, you fool!" Sasuke snapped. "It's just, well, I trust you more than others. But don't take that in any weird way, because—"

Whatever other venomous words Sasuke had been planning on spitting out, he never got to it because Naruto had lightly kissed his cheek. Somehow the kiss on the cheek that Naruto gave him voluntarily embarrassed him even more than the deep kisses they shared, so Sasuke couldn't control the blush that stained his cheeks. Naruto was blushing as well as he looked up at the other boy. "From where I come from, only people of different gender or families kiss each other and I think it's unsanitary, but I'll kiss Uchiha anyway. Because, you know, we always do it. Uchiha likes kissing, right?"

"I hate kissing," Sasuke grumbled. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Huh? But you always…"

"It's not that I like the act of kissing. It's because the one I kiss… Oh, forget it. You're so dumb."

After saying strange things, Sasuke somehow looked angry again, so Naruto kept quiet and curiously stared at Sasuke. He wanted to ask Sasuke what he meant by that, but Sasuke will probably get madder, so he didn't say anything. Sasuke reached a door and gently knocked on the doorframe.

"Hinata-sama, may I enter?"

There was a rustle of silk, and then a soft, feminine voice answered, "By all means, please do so, Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke was about to shift Naruto's weight on one arm so that he could slide the door open, but Naruto reached out and opened the door for him. The room was spacious and filled with sunlight. Flower arrangements and fabrics and other sewing materials brightly colored the simply decorated room, and in the center of the room there sat a small girl. Her robes were comprised of many colorful layers, and each was neatly arranged to show the color underneath it. She gently smiled as Sasuke entered, carefully picking herself up to bow at him. Sasuke bowed back.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you?" She asked. Her voice was barely over whisper, but each word was clearly pronounced, making her words easy to understand. She gestured Sasuke to sit down and he did so, Hinata shortly following to sit down after him. Sasuke held Naruto out in fashion of showing a puppy, his arms wrapped around the other's chest.

"I was hoping that you would be able to make something for this little one, Hinata-sama. Would you be kind enough to do so?"

Hinata, who had her eyes lowered from the beginning, lifted her eyes at that. Her eyes were white, with the faintest hint of purple along the edge of the iris. Hers and Naruto's eyes met, and suddenly Hinata's cheeks stained pink.

"Ah. Who, who is this?" She asked, suddenly her words stammering. At the same time that Naruto thought she was weird, Sasuke's expression suddenly darkened. His arms around Naruto tightened. He pulled the smaller boy up against him until Naruto was sitting on his lap, and Naruto squirmed, but otherwise he didn't protest.

"This is Naruto. He warms my bed."

"What?!"

"Excuse… me…?"

Sasuke's expression turned more teasing. "He's my bed slave."

Naruto sharply whipped his head around and opened his mouth, but Sasuke held him down to his chest by the nape of his neck. There was an indignant squeak, followed by muffled complaints, but Sasuke ignored him and returned to Hinata. "Will you be able to make something for him? I would ask one of the maids, but I rather favor this one, so I want well-made clothes for him."

Hinata's expression was unreadable. Her voice was shaking as she slowly said, "Very well. I shall be glad to make clothes for him, Sasuke-sama."

While Hinata took Naruto's measurements and she and Sasuke chose fabrics to make Naruto's robe, Naruto sulked. As soon as he and Sasuke left Hinata's room, Naruto smacked Sasuke's chest with his fist.

"…Uzumaki?"

Naruto smacked him again and again. When Sasuke stopped walking and stared at him in puzzlement, Naruto glared up at him. "…Why? Why did you say that?!"

"Say what?"

"Why are you keep embarrassing me?! Why did you tell her that I'm your bed slave?!"

Why was Naruto yelling at him when he was the one with a girl gawking at him?! "Because you _are_!" Sasuke glared back, his eyes narrowing. "Why shouldn't she know? She's my distant cousin. Is there a reason why you don't want her to know that you're my bed slave?"

"But you said it's only an excuse! You said, you said that we're friends. Doesn't that make us equals? Why do you always say that I belong to you and weird things like that?!" Naruto genuinely looked angry. Was he that upset that he didn't make a good impression on Hinata? Were Hinata's feelings more important than his own? At those kinds of thoughts, Sasuke felt the familiar clenching feeling hurting his heart, so he raised his voice.

"Does the thought of belonging to me disgust you that much? Even as an excuse, does that make you angry like this? Then forget it! Do what you want! Tell others what you want!"

That wasn't what he was trying to say, but seeing Sasuke upset like this made Naruto even more confused. He wordlessly pushed Sasuke away. Stumbling slightly, Naruto limped away, wincing with every step at the acute pain that it produced. Sasuke watched Naruto walking away from him and felt the pain growing so intense that it felt like someone was squeezing his hand around his heart, tightening it and making it more painful as Naruto walked away from him.

Despite the fact that he gave up his virginity to make Naruto's body belong to him, Naruto didn't seem any closer to him. He didn't understand his feelings at all. The more he forced Naruto near him, the further Naruto seemed. And then, to his chagrin, Sasuke suddenly realized that he loved Naruto so much that he scarcely knew what to do with his feelings.

* * *

To Be Continued

"Omae… Teme… Kisama wa tako ka(are you an octopus)?!" Yup, Shiro is a silly octopus. Naruto seems to slip away into the 'cute and vulnerable uke' zone, instead of the 'tough and cynical uke' type. Or is it 'happy and stupid uke' prototype? ;;; He's as dense as a piece of rock, so it seems poor Sasuke has to suffer some more before Naruto notices Sasuke's feelings, and even more before Naruto realizes his own feelings.

The changes in the Naruto opening are lovely except for increase in Sakura's appearance. She blocks Sasuke, so it's troublesome taking screenshots. (What's up with all those action poses when she doesn't do jackshit? =3=) But both Itachi and Tsunade Oneesama look really cool, and the ending where there are cute girls in swimming suits was very nice. It would have been nicer if Hinata's swimsuit had more skin exposure and there was picture of Temari as well. But Ten Ten (_was_ that Ten Ten? ;;;;;) looked very cute, so I was happy. Ino should keep her hair down; she looked cuter that way. X3

The latest Naruto comic chapters somehow make my heart hurt more and more. Child Sasuke looks so innocent and shy that it makes me sad to think that few years in the future, he would grow so bitter and cynical. The way he looks at Itachi, I can almost hear him repeating in his mind, 'I love you so much, Niisama, please, please don't betray my trust… Please let me believe in you, please let me continue to look up to you. Please don't turn your eyes away from mine…' Itachi must be in pain to betray such a trust, too, because he seems to love Sasuke very much as well. It wouldn't have hurt as much if Itachi was heartless and Sasuke hated him from the start, but to see disintegration of such deep love between brothers hurts me. At this rate, I might cry. ;-; (Kishimoto-sensei, you did that deliberately, didn't you!)


	9. Mutual

"You like him, don't you."

It was a statement, not a question. Sasuke kept his mouth shut, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes lowered. Ino softly laughed.

"Mm, he's really cute, so I don't blame you. But if you do that, I feel too sorry for Sakura. She really does like you a lot, you know."

Sasuke lightly sighed. "…That does not matter to me. She shouldn't expect anything from this match anyway."

"Will you choose me?"

Sasuke lifted his eyes to look at Ino at that. Her gaze was serious.

"I don't really like you romantically, so I'll leave you alone once you manage to make me pregnant. Don't hurt Sakura more than you already did. I can understand if you prefer him to be in your bed rather than me, but if you do that with Sakura…"

Sasuke turned his eyes away again.

"…But I don't want to embrace anyone but Naruto."

"You still have to give your answer tomorrow, you know. And it's not like your little one can bear your children."

"…Doesn't it bother you to marry me?"

Shadow briefly passed over Ino's face, but she smiled. "That doesn't matter; that person would never return my feelings, anyway."

Sasuke steadily regarded Ino, then lowered his eyes to the ground again.

* * *

Dai 9 Wa: Mutual Feelings –How do I Express My Thoughts Towards You?-

* * *

"Uchiha Sasuke-kun."

Naruto was sitting amongst pile of wrapping papers and ribbons, something clutched in his hands. His eyes were glued upon the entity that he was holding, and cross-shaped vein was tempting to thrust out to the surface of his skin. He was twitching violently, his eyes narrowing the longer he observed the thing in his hands. Finally he lifted his head and smiled at Sasuke. The smile had a glint of insanity to it, but Sasuke was unemotionally staring down at him, his arms crossed over his chest. If anything, there was a hint of pride on the other boy's face.

"Uchiha Sasuke-kun," Naruto sweetly started. "Pray tell me, what the hell is this shit I'm holding in my hands?"

Sasuke coldly said, "Are your brains in your head just to fill up the empty space? You are currently holding your new clothes."

Naruto started to twitch even more violently. He held up the cloth in his hands—short, pale pink robe that was obviously for a girl—and his smile widened as his voice grew softer. "In case your eyes rotted and fell out of that stupid face of yours, I'll tell you that this happens to be a girl child's clothes. And I happen to _not_ be a girl child."

"No, dimwit," Sasuke patiently said, his tone incredibly condescending. "What you're holding is a bed slave's clothing. It's only given to a highly favored slave. It's made out of very fine material, and the color should accent your—"

The delicate pink robe was thrown at Sasuke's face. Sasuke snatched it in the midair, frowning. Naruto's face was turning into a very interesting shade of red.

"…UCHIHAAAAAA!!! I'LL KILL YOUUUU!!!"

Naruto lounged at Sasuke, his hands clutched into fists. But the swing of his arm was too wide, and Sasuke easily stepped aside and caught his wrist as he passed, then swiftly flipped the wrist while kicking up Naruto's legs. Naruto lost his balance and at the same time he toppled and fell, Sasuke's heavier weight pressed him down to the ground, his arm twisted and pinned to his back. Naruto felt Sasuke's warm breath tickling the nape of his neck.

"Be a good boy, Naruto."

Mocking voice whispered to him. Naruto struggled, but Sasuke dug harder into his back, and with soft cry of pain Naruto gave up. When Sasuke felt Naruto's body relaxing underneath his, he lightened his pressure. "My cousin spent entire day with her helpers to make this cloth for you. Besides, that orange thing you wear is really dirty and uncouth. Try it on, Kitten."

"But it's pink," Naruto protested. "How come I can't wear black or blue like you always do?"

Sasuke lightly chuckled as he released his hold on Naruto. "Just try it on."

Naruto made a face as Sasuke handed the robe to him. He glared at Sasuke for a good measure, then turned around and rapidly undressed. Sasuke felt his face heat up as the smooth backside was revealed, so he lowered his eyes and waited for the rustling of fabric to stop. When it did, he looked up. Naruto was holding the sash in his hand, curiously looking at it like he didn't know what to do with it. Sasuke wordlessly snatched it from his hands and tied it around his waist. Then he stepped back, and Naruto awkwardly looked up at him.

"…How cute."

Sasuke couldn't quite control the first word that rushed into his mind. The robe barely covered Naruto's thighs, revealing all of his creamy-skinned legs. The ribbon that tied the robe in place trailed down nearly to the boy's ankles, and the sleeve was slightly too long for him, so only fingers of his hands showed. The light pink color matched well with Naruto's skin. Naruto's cheeks were tainted pink with shame, and overall he really did look cute.

At Sasuke's words Naruto blushed even harder. The collar was too deeply caved in. While Naruto did not mind that his almost half of his chest showed, Sasuke had put kiss marks on his neck quite recently, so he tried to cover up his neck. Sasuke kneeled down and picked up the hair ribbon that was included with the robe and tied it around Naruto's neck instead, managing to cover most of the marks.

"You really do look cute, Naruto," Sasuke sweetly said. He stepped closer and wrapped his fingers around Naruto's cheeks. "You're cuter than any girl I've ever seen."

Naruto lifted his hands up to place them on top of Sasuke's hands. "Uchiha…"

He slowly tilted his head towards Sasuke's face. Sasuke felt his heart starting to beat faster. Can he possibly want…? He eagerly lowered his face. Naruto's eyes fluttered shut, and then:

"DO YOU THINK I'LL BE HAPPY IF YOU SAY THAT?!!!"

Sasuke winced, covering up his ears. Naruto's voice still rang in his ears. He was certain Naruto had damaged his hearing. Naruto had pushed Sasuke's hands away. "You stupid pervert! Why are you keep saying I'm cute?! I'm a boy! Look, this is what a girl looks like, okay?"

Naruto kneeled down and searched for something in his discarded clothing, then he pulled out a fish cake and pressed it against his forehead.

"Transform: Oiroke no jutsu!"

There was an explosion of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a busty girl had replaced Naruto. The pink robe that Naruto was wearing nearly showed the girl's nipples, and the thin clothing hugged the curvy body. But what should have been a very enticing sight for a teenaged boy only dismayed Sasuke. The appearance did not really matter, but this wasn't the real Naruto. This wasn't the person he grew to like so much.

"Uzumaki… Stop acting like an idiot and go back to your boy form."

When the girl opened her mouth, a soft, feminine voice teasingly said, "Aaara, Sasuke-kun. Are you embarrassed in the presence of a grown-up? How cute If you're good, oneechan will let you touch her boobs."

It seemed that Naruto had not perfectly mastered this spell, since tail was sticking out of the girl's posterior, swishing with each of her movement. She reached out for Sasuke's hand and placed it on her bosom, smirking. But instead of bursting into nosebleed and fainting out, Sasuke frowned as he touched the soft mounds of flesh.

"…Where did you learn such unsavory spell? Cut it out and return to the usual Naruto. Do you let anyone touch you like this?"

Naruto frowned. "Well, if you keep insisting that I'm your bed slave or whatever, wouldn't it look better if I'm glamorous girl like this? And Sasuke, how come you're not giving me any kind of reaction? Are you really gay?"

Sasuke looked annoyed. "Naruto… I'm going to smack you if you keep this up."

Naruto stuck her tongue out and gathered her hands together. With another explosion of smoke, Naruto had turned back into his usual boy form. Sulking, he firmly crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. "Whoever your wife's going to be, I really feel sorry for her. What kind of guy gets mad when a girl with bib boobs let him feel her up? Geez. Do you ever plan on mating?"

"…I already did that."

"What?"

"…Sex."

"Eeeeeh?!" Naruto gawked at Sasuke. Sasuke felt the start of another severe headache at his clueless expression. "You?! Really?! With whom? When?"

Sasuke wanted to throttle Naruto, but he settled for giving a very frigid look to Naruto instead. "When I was putting those marks on your neck."

This took few seconds of processing in Naruto's brain, and then when he finally figured out what Sasuke was talking about, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "You… You mean, at that time… You… I…?"

"Yes."

"But… We're both boys…?"

"So?"

Another few seconds of mental processing, and then Naruto bit into his lower lip and lowered his eyes. His voice grew small. "But you said you wouldn't do bad things to me… You said you're going to warm me up… So I really am a toy for you to play with at night? You said we're friends, that I'm not really your bed slave… But…"

The small shoulders trembled, then Naruto's lips drooped down. Sasuke desperately wished Naruto would yell at him, smack him, do something that he could handle, but Naruto just stood there, looking like a kicked puppy. Naruto gathered the robe tightly around his body and silently walked out of the room, his head lowered. Sasuke felt the familiar pang returning to pain his heart, and though his lips opened, no sound escaped them.

* * *

Somehow, lately Iruka seemed to enjoy hiding in his room, so Naruto sat by himself at the edge of a small pond full of koi fishes. Whenever he dipped his finger in, the fishes thought that Naruto was going to feed them, so they eagerly jumped to the surface. Watching the fishes shine brightly as the sunlight reflected against their scales gave Naruto a strange urge to pounce on them, but someone told him that goldfishes were inedible.

Naruto wondered, 'Why?' …They looked plump enough to eat. The problem of edible goldfishes aside, Naruto desperately thought to himself, 'Someone play with me!'

At the sound of soft footsteps, Naruto's ears perked up, and he turned his head slightly to watch someone approaching the pond. Sasuke's cousin was walking towards him, a bag of something clutched in her small hands. Probably fish food.

"Uzumaki-sama," Hinata acknowledged, shyly smiling. Even though Naruto's first impression of her was 'weird', seeing that kind of smile made Naruto think that she's kind of 'cute'. Naruto waved his hand.

"Yaa. Uchiha…?"

Hinata slowly shook her head. The smile still didn't leave her lips. "Hyuuga. I am called Hyuuga Hinata."

"Eh? But you're Sasuke's cousin?"

"Very, very distant cousin. You might as well as consider us strangers." Hinata softly laughed, then indicated to the ground next to Naruto. "Would it be all right if I take the place next to you?"

'Speak louder,' Naruto wanted to scold her. But since his loudness wasn't exactly pleasing to others either, he just nodded. He watched Hinata gracefully settling down next to him, then turned his head back to watching the fishes.

"Is something wrong? You look pale."

Naruto's shoulders jumped slightly, but he didn't turn his head.

"…Your cousin's an asshole."

Soft laughter. Naruto thought that Hinata's laughter sounded a lot like chiming of small silver bells. Unlike her so-called distant cousin, Hinata herself seemed very nice person. She didn't even look insulted at Naruto's vulgar speech pattern. "Did you have a fight with him, Uzumaki-sama?"

"We always fight," Naruto said, a light sigh accompanying the acknowledgement. "But, mm, I didn't really mind that he took my first kiss, but Uchiha does anything that pleases him. He's really self-centered, and it frustrates me. When Uchiha said 'I might have feelings for you', I was happy, but I wonder why he wants to have sex with a boy like me."

"…"

Hinata fidgeted. She wasn't sure if this was a topic she really wanted to discuss or know in depth. As much as she loved her cousin whom she knew since her childhood, knowing about his private life was a bit uncomfortable. But Naruto continued to ramble, blind to Hinata's unease.

"It hurt and I was scared, but because I believed that Uchiha wouldn't hurt me, I let him do embarrassing things to me. But I'm angry… Why didn't he tell me what we were doing? Since he's a boy, I would have understood that he had urges. I wouldn't have said no. It… it really hurt… Actually it still hurts so much that I can't run. But, but because I liked him, even if he used my body I wouldn't have been angry if he had been honest with me…"

"You really like him a lot, don't you."

Hinata opened the small cloth bag and took out some fish pellets and placed it on Naruto's hand, so Naruto threw the food to the fish and watched them fight over the food. The small splashes they made caught the sunlight and shone gold. That made Naruto remember that he was hungry, too. …Surely fish pellets were not edible?

"I don't know. Sometimes he makes me so angry that I want to knock out couple of teeth from his jaw. But when he smiles it looks really pretty, and my heart throbs when he's not near and I want us to always be together, and… Eto."

Hinata's pretty laughter overlapped Naruto's small voice, and her small hand rested against Naruto's hand. "…That's called love."

"Eh?"

All the fish food held in Naruto's hands fell to the water. Oblivious to the splashes of fishes next to him, Naruto stared at Hinata's face. "Eh. Ehhhh?! Me? Him? What?!"

"And you're the first person Sasuke-sama willingly showed any kind of affection to after… the death of his parents. I think if you're more truthful to your feelings, Sasuke-sama might be more truthful with you, too. He's scared right now." Hinata lowered her eyes. "…He might not seem that way, but he's a very fragile person, so."

'Fragile? That Uchiha?' Naruto's mind questioned. '…Are we talking about the same Uchiha?!'

But merely thinking about Sasuke brought the painful throbbing to his heart again, so Naruto gloomily wondered if there was any chance that he did fall in love with Sasuke.

No way. He was stupid, but he wasn't a masochist.

* * *

The stench of alcohol was irritating to Naruto's sensitive nose. Gently easing the door to Sasuke's room open, Naruto was surprised to see Itachi in Sasuke's room. Sasuke was pouring out alcohol on Itachi's cup. His hands were shaking slightly. It wasn't noticeable if one didn't look carefully, but the entire room was heavy with cold atmosphere.

"Then I'll start the preparations," Itachi softly said. Sasuke flinched. The alcohol lightly spilled to the side of the cup. The liquid ran down Itachi's hand.

"Pl, please forgive me."

Sasuke sounded like he wanted to cry, so Naruto wanted to hold his hand, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to enter the room. Itachi scared him. Naruto didn't understand why Itachi permeated such bloodthirsty aura around his little brother. Didn't he like Sasuke?

"Never mind." Itachi stood up, ignoring the handkerchief that Sasuke offered. Not even glancing at Naruto, Itachi walked out of the room. Only when Itachi's scent was completely gone did Naruto dare to enter Sasuke's room. Sasuke was numbly staring at the food set in front of him, so Naruto lowered his body and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke violently startled and tried to push Naruto away, but Naruto tightly hugged him.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head, but Naruto softly called his name again. "Sasuke. Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Answer me."

"…Aa."

"Don't think about anything else. Think about me."

"Aa."

"Only about Naruto. Can you promise that?"

"Naruto."

Naruto pressed his cheek against Sasuke's cheek. Why did he grow to like this spoiled brat? He didn't have social skills to speak of, he did whatever pleased him, and he probably thought less of Naruto than he did of garbage. But because the kindness he sometimes gave was so warm, because smile he sometimes showed was so sweet, because the vulnerable self he sometimes exposed was so hurt. Because Sasuke sometimes reminded him of himself.

…How depressing. He really did seem to like Sasuke.

"Why… Did you do that?"

"…?"

Sasuke looked puzzled.

"You said… you wouldn't. You said I wasn't worth it. So why did you have sex with me?"

Sasuke stopped giving off the scent of a terrified animal, so Naruto loosened his hold on Sasuke, but didn't pull away. He still smelled like fear. Sasuke tried to smirk, but it crumpled halfway. "…Do you hate me?"

"I'm angry. You're a liar."

"…Yeah. I always lie." Dry chuckle. It would've been better if he cried instead. "At that time, I was scared because you almost died. Perhaps I was trying to forget my fears by physical pleasures. I'm a male, so lying with you without clothing might have stimulated me. Actually I'm not quite sure exactly why I did it with you."

Another lie. Lies did not even matter anymore. He couldn't tell Naruto that he loved him. He didn't have a right to love anyone. His wings were so tainted with sin that the originally white wings became black.

"Heh. That's it?" …So joining their body into one didn't mean anything to Sasuke? It didn't matter who his partner was? That thought made Naruto sad, but a small part of him was happy. Because Sasuke said that Naruto gave him physical pleasure and made him forget about his fear. He said that Naruto was comforting.

"You're scared right now, aren't you?"

At that Sasuke looked like he stepped on a really nasty insect, so Naruto wanted to laugh. Why did he always have to pretend that he's so strong?

"If you want to do it, it's okay."

"…"

Sasuke's handsome face became even weirder. With an expression that clearly said 'I don't understand your meaning,' Sasuke broodingly stared at Naruto. Naruto felt his cheeks threatening to turn red, so he ducked his head.

"Mm, that is, I'm not mad anymore. As long as you're honest with me, I'll let you sleep with me. It's not like we haven't done it before, and if you like it… How should I say this. If it would comfort you, I don't mind letting you have me."

Because I like you so much.

"…Thank you, Naruto."

* * *

To Be Continued

'Someone play with me!' is actually what I've been thinking lately. I recently became obsessed with s.CRY.ed(more specifically Ryoho-san) and no…one… knows about it, so I don't have anyone to play with. Even my sister refuses to watch it with me. ;;;;;; I learned about s.CRY.ed from a fan comic artist that I really respect and like(she made me obsessed with Yuugiou's KaiJyo, too…). It's all her fault that I'm walking down the road of minor anime. Fue. I want to read more RyuKazu fan fictions. ;; Fine, if no one would play with me, I'll play by myself. [picks up a stick and draws figures on the dirt]

Mm, this chapter got deleted, so I had to type it for the second time (…I'm sick enough with this stupid cold without you giving me trouble, computer-dear…) It was embarrassing enough the first time, but… Ahahaha. (So stop writing embarrassing things!) This might possibly be the longest H I've wrote so far… Shiro's mind travels further into the gutter everyday… The voyage into the world of gutter! (…) The uncut chapter can be found at either my website or at the group, both of which are listed on my profile. ;)

Happy birthday, Sasurin! I bought a strawberry cheesecake for him. I would've made him a cake, but I heard that it was his birthday today sometime around 12 PM, so I didn't have the time. It was very yummy. I'm glad it wasn't overly sweet. X3 I'm sorry your birthday fic was so rushed; I'll write a better one for Naru-chan's birthday. (Don't. ;;;;) Maybe I'll buy a chocolate mousse cake for Naru-chan's birthday...


	10. Freedom

            Sasuke's face was rigid as he slowly said, "…yes.  That is my final decision."

            Itachi's expression did not change.  He emptied the cup of alcohol he was holding and nodded.  "I understand.  I'll inform the bride-to-be's parents and start discussing the marriage ceremony with them.  Within a week, we should be able to get you engaged."

            Sasuke picked up the bottle of rice wine and poured out another cup for Itachi.  His door slide open, but Sasuke did not have the strength to turn his head and see whom it was.

            "Then I'll start the preparations," Itachi softly said.  Sasuke flinched.

            Pearly, thick white liquid splashed as it hit the edge of the cup, and then the alcohol ran down Itachi's hand.  As Sasuke watched the flowing liquid, he desperately wished that the liquid was his own blood.  If only he could be killed by Itachi's hands.

            Even by death, if only he could be free.

---

Dai 10 Wa: Caged Bird. –Run as Far as Your Legs Would Carry You, Under the Sky-

---

            The golden-haired boy in his arms was curled up into a small ball, sleeping peacefully.  For a boy, his cute face contained incredibly soft lines.  After a short gaze at the sleeping face, Sasuke lowered his face and carefully kissed the closed eyelids.  He lightly sucked the eyelid, then with his palm he brushed back the rough strands of his bangs.  He was lovely.  He was so lovely that Sasuke scarcely knew what to do with him.  He shook the sleeping child awake.

            "…Nn.  Three more minutes.  My eyes hurt…"

            Naruto was throwing a tantrum.  When Sasuke shook him harder, Naruto frowned and glared at him through sleepy eyes.  Sasuke allowed slightly bitter smile to cross his lips.

            "Preparations should be taken care of quickly if one has to depart."

            His companion looked lost.  He supported himself on his arms and turned his head to stare at him with pure blue eyes.  Sasuke's own eyes were covered by his bangs, so they probably couldn't be seen.  He couldn't show his eyes to him.  Even if he was used to acting like he didn't have feelings—

            His wounds still might be discovered if Naruto could see his eyes.

            "Depart?  Are you going somewhere, Sasuke?"

            Sasuke coldly smirked.  "You are the one who's leaving, dimwit.  My brother will be busy for few days in preparation for my engagement ceremony, so now would be the best time for you to run away.  If I become a married man, 'bed slave' would be pretty unpleasant, so."

            Naruto forced himself to smile, as if he was hurt.  If he's hurt, he should just say so…

            "It would be unpleasant for you?  Or are you talking about your wife?"

            "I-diot.  It will be unpleasant for you.  Since what I said about us being 'friends' became a lie, I would be no better than a trash if I continued to keep you here and use your body.  I'll keep the other promise I made to you no matter what.  I'll make you free."

            "Ah, is that so…" Even while saying such things, Naruto's expression worsened.  Just what was he wishing for?  Sasuke was trying to help him.  But when he thought that he had to leave Sasuke's side, his heart throbbed in pain.  He didn't want this.

            I want to be with you.

            "Who's your fiancée?  The pink-haired lady?  The blonde?"

            Naruto didn't want to know this.  But he wanted to talk to Sasuke.  He wanted to stay with Sasuke, even if it's a little bit longer, but Sasuke's answer was cold and curt. 

            "What's it to you?  It doesn't matter which one it is.  That's none of your business, either."

            Naruto lowered his face, because if he looked at him he thought that reasonless tears would fall.  He changed his clothing back to cleanly washed orange jumper suit and packed his meager belongings in a large handkerchief.  Sasuke kept his mouth shut while he chose some of his smaller clothing for Naruto.   After he brought some food article and toiletries for Naruto, he tied the handkerchief neatly and handed the package to Naruto.  When Naruto stood there, clutching his luggage close to his chest, Sasuke stepped closer to him and gently brushed back his hair to place his goggles over his hair.  His eyes were so kind that suddenly tears started to fall down.  Ah, damn.

            Naruto thought he'll be scolded, so he was nervous, but Sasuke tightly hugged him instead.  Even though it was only yesterday that he gave his body to Sasuke, Sasuke never showed such obvious act of affection, so Naruto snuggled deeper into his chest.  He bit into his lips as hard as he could because he didn't want to make any crying noises.  In the dimly lit room, the boys stood there, tightly embracing each other.

            "Since you're getting away from me, you should make a happier face.  You should live happily…  Live energetically, you moron."

            Sasuke's voice had softened, so Naruto hugged him even more tightly.  The tears kept slipping past his eyelids.

            "I, uu, want to be… with Sasuke.  Ue…"

            "Wanting to be near… a being like me.  You're a good child…" Sasuke snickered and pressed his forehead against Naruto's.  His eyes were violently trembling.  He wanted to cry, but that was impossible because his tears have dried up.  He's full of wounds.  He's still yet young boy with a diseased heart.  "I… want to be with you, too.  But that's just my possessiveness.  I'm a bad child.  Truthfully I want to hold you down close to me forever, but if I do that, you'll break apart."

            It seemed that Sasuke realized that he was being too honest.  He backed away and became expressionless again, as if he placed mask over mask.  He stood up and started to turn away, but Naruto caught his sleeve.  Sasuke frowned and turned around.  His unpleasant expression said 'What the hell?', but Naruto ignored it and asked in a shaking voice. 

            "Why… are you doing this all of a sudden?  You bought new clothes for me… We slept together… Even yesterday, you said nothing about this.  Why did you grow to dislike me?"

            Sasuke remained silent.  To be honest, he suddenly became afraid of himself.  Yesterday, Naruto opened his body as if it was nothing because Sasuke was frightened.  Even though it should have been a really difficult thing for a boy to do, Naruto accepted Sasuke's body.    Sasuke felt 'satisfaction' from such 'submission'.  If Naruto allowed this, he wasn't sure how long he would stubbornly hold on to Naruto.  He wasn't sure if he could ever let Naruto go.  Because he knew himself so well—his coldness, his cruelty—Sasuke thought that he should give Naruto 'freedom' as soon as possible.  Not to mention…

            "Because… I decided on the person whom I am going to marry.  I told Itachi who it would be yesterday.  In less than a week, I'll be engaged.  We're not 'friends' any longer, so it's only foolishness that we'd stay together.  After all, you're a demon, so it's not safe for you here."

            The hand that clutched at the sleeve weakly fell away.  Naruto lowered his eyes.  The body that was held by Sasuke still hurt like this.  The attracted feeling he developed for Sasuke made his heart throb like this.  But the man he loved said good-bye, as if it didn't matter to him.  Doesn't this hurt him at all? 

            When he carefully picked himself up, Sasuke snatched his package away from him.

            "I'll… walk with you to the entrance of the forest."

            Naruto watched his turned back.  Sasuke briskly walked ahead, so Naruto trotted to keep up with him.  Whenever he walked… it really hurt.  His body was no longer pure, but his waist hurt so much that he couldn't help it but frown.  Sasuke was pretty far ahead, but he noticed Naruto falling behind and came back.

            "What is it?"

            Naruto nervously chewed on his lower lip, then he finally murmured, "Um, that's…  My waist hurts."  When Sasuke's expression stiffened, Naruto became nervous so he added, "Sorry, sorry, don't mind me.  It'll be fine soon if I walk a little more."

            If he acted like a child, Sasuke might be angry and leave him earlier.  He was trying his best not to irritate Sasuke because he wanted to stay with Sasuke.

            "You fool," Sasuke said in a patronizing tone.  This made him sad again.  Right.  Sasuke was this kind of person.

            Naruto was about to walk again, but Sasuke was squatting on the ground, showing his back to him.  When Naruto asked "What?" Sasuke scowled again.

            "You said it hurts!  Hurry and get on my back, you dimwit!"

            Since Sasuke became so angry, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders.  Sasuke stood up and started to briskly walk again.  His back was warm, so Naruto pressed his cheek against the cloth-covered skin.  Sasuke's cold yet sweet scent felt good, so Naruto smiled to himself.

            Past the heavy gates of the Uchiha manor, it was already middle of the summer.  In the outside world, the air was heavy and damp, and cicadas' crying sounds filled the air.  Everything was a brilliant green. Since it was early in the morning, they didn't encounter anyone until they walked quite far outside.  Everyone that they encountered on the street politely greeted Sasuke, so Naruto felt that 'Sasuke is someone incredible in his society after all.'  It became embarrassing because people looked at Naruto strangely, since Sasuke was carrying him on his back.  Sasuke didn't seem to notice the questioning glances at all.  …What a shameless person.

            After they crossed quite a distance, they encountered fewer and fewer human beings.  Instead the sweet, welcoming scent of grass and dirt grew heavier.  The forest that seemed so far away grew closer and closer.  When they arrived at the edge of the forest, everything seemed so full of life that Naruto couldn't help smiling happily.  The birds crying in a shrill voice to each other between heavy canopy of wide trees were lightened bright green by the strong summer sunlight.  Sasuke was displeased that Naruto seemed so happy.

            "We're here.  You're heavy, so hurry and get off."

            Naruto slid off and buried the expensive shoes Sasuke bought for him in the thick, fertile soil of the forest.  His smile widened.

            "Wow, this place has really good soil!"

            "Are you a plant?  Why are you concerned about good soil?"  Sasuke complained.  Naruto just laughed and took Sasuke's hand in his own.  He turned his head and gazed at the forest ahead of him, then turned his head to look at Sasuke.

            "I have to return now," Sasuke said.  Naruto nodded and slowly let go of Sasuke's hand.  He backed away, his hands supporting the back of his neck.  His lips curled up, showing his sharp canines.  Sasuke longingly looked at him, but his expression hardened.  He nodded to Naruto and turned around.  A loud voice rang out to him, so Sasuke abruptly stopped walking.

            "You know, have you ever been bewitched by a demon before?"

            When Sasuke repeated, 'bewitched?', Naruto solemnly nodded, so Sasuke replied, "If I have been bewitched, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?  Usually demons eat their pray after captivating them."

            Naruto tilted his head to the side slightly. 

            "…Do you want to be under my spell?"

            A small hand was stretched out towards him.  With the still cocky smirk on his lips, Naruto repeated, "Do you want to be captivated by this fox demon…  And run away with him?"

            "What…"

            "I won't eat you."  Naruto's blue eyes looked green under the leaf-filtered sunlight.  The eyes narrowed.  "You said you want to be with me…  Right?  You don't… want to do… something like marriage.  Always together…"

            Naruto lowered his head slightly and laughed.  "I'll save you."

            "I can't do something selfish like that," Sasuke said.  He tried to convince himself that he couldn't leave.  He couldn't run away with Naruto…

            "Isn't it okay to be selfish once in a while…?" 

            He wanted to be Naruto.  But no matter what he wanted, he had to get married, and there were territories he must control.  There were so many responsibilities weighing upon his shoulders.  But as if he was throwing off the shackles of the society, as if he really had been under Naruto's spell, Sasuke took the out-reached hand in his own.

---

            Iruka had turned pale, and was growing more hysterical as the time passed.  Sasuke who was never even late without telling him about it was absent to his lessons.  Exactly one hour after the lesson was supposed to start, Iruka grew uneasy and started to search for Sasuke, but no one had seen him.  Three hours have passed since then.  Iruka looked like he would burst into tears.

            Kakashi, who somehow got involved in searching for Sasuke, looked unhappy as he complained.

            "You are making a big deal out of a hot-blooded teenaged boy being late to his lessons.  I'm sure he's playing somewhere with that pretty slave child of his.  He's that age, after all."

            "Sasuke Obousama is not thoughtless pervert like you!"  Iruka said, enraged.  "There is no way that he would do something like that with Naruto-kun, and even if he did, he'd wait until his lessons were finished!"

            Naruto?  Kakashi's brows slightly wrinkled.  That name… sounded familiar.

            "That Naruto or whatever…  I don't see that child anywhere, either."

            Iruka's expression crumpled further and he agonized, saying, "Do you think the two of them got into some kind of accident?  Aa, I don't have the right to call myself a 'teacher'."

            "Isn't that Naruto child… a demon?  Demons don't die easily.  If Sasuke is with Naruto, I'm sure both of them are safe."

            At Kakashi's comforting words, Iruka helplessly slumped on the floor.  He blankly stared ahead of himself.  He weakly muttered, "Well, he is one of the strongest known demon—a nine-tailed fox—so I'm sure even if something happened to Sasuke Obousama, Naruto could have helped him."

            The cup of cold tea that Kakashi was drinking slid right out of his hands and broke with a loud noise.  Iruka opened his eyes wide and stared at him in surprise.  With a face so serious that it was almost frightening, Kakashi asked, "Did you say… 'nine-tailed fox'?"

            "Aa…  Yes, surely…  He's still young, but he's certainly nine-tailed… golden fox."  At Kakashi's face that became more and more stern, Iruka was surprised, so he asked, "What is it?"

            "It seems that I made a big mistake," Kakashi said, smiling.  "After all…  Is this the limit of demon aura that someone like I can sense.  To think that I couldn't recognize such a great demon."

            Kakashi started to clean up the broken cup.  When Iruka bent down to help him, Kakashi gently pushed Iruka away.  His smile was cold.

            "You'll get hurt.  More than this, would you pack my luggage?"

            At the strange words, Iruka looked confused.  "Excuse me?"

            Kakashi's frozen eyes slightly softened.  "You can pack your own luggage, too, if you want to come with me."

            "As if!"  Iruka exploded, his eyes flashing angrily.  Muttering something under his breath, Iruka stormed away to do Kakashi's request.  As soon as Iruka was out of earshot, Kakashi lowly chuckled.  The laughter was cold enough to turn flowing blood into ice.  "To use Gaara-sama's future mate as 'bed slave', that boy has some nerve.  To slip under my fingers like this…  I'll find you no matter what, Uchiha Sasuke…  And Uzumaki Naruto."

---

            "Waa!  That's wrong.  If you roast it like that, it becomes dry and flaky!"

            Sasuke was currently being scolded by Naruto.  Of all things, he was being scolded because he was cooking fish wrong.  Since he was a gentleman from a high-ranking family, of course he wouldn't know how to cook a fish well.  But ignoring the fact that Sasuke was the one who made the fire with his spell and that Sasuke was the one who caught all the fish, Naruto was busy yelling at him.

            When Sasuke yelled, "If you're so good at this, _you_ do it!"  Naruto snapped back,

          "Whose fault do you think it is that my waist hurts!?  If I have to squat like that to cook the fish, I'll start crying because it'll hurt so much!"

          Fine, fine, so it was entirely his fault.

          Even if the words exchanged by the two were harsh, they were holding hands and were continuously grinning at each other.  Sasuke thought that he was having a lot of fun.  With the person he liked the most, he was able to play like a child, catch fish, and make something like a campfire.  The rush of freedom made him feel like he would become insane.  Even when he was a small child, he didn't remember thinking something was 'so much fun'.

          When the fish were done, they picked the bone clean while blowing on the fish to cool them.  When Sasuke took a piece of flesh and fed it to Naruto, just like the time he was a baby fox he readily ate it from his hand, so Sasuke ended up feeding an entire fish to Naruto.  Between the two, they ate three of quite big fish.  Even Sasuke, who didn't like eating and was picky about his food, ate his meal with gusto. 

          After eating, the two munched on apples that they had picked while walking.  Naruto told him various things about his life back in his home village.  Sasuke listened with deep interest.

          "So, you know, I pissed all over that bastard's face."

          Sasuke, who normally would have been angry and grumpily said 'What a vulgar story' in response to such type of stories, laughed with Naruto instead.  "Good job," Sasuke cheerfully said.  "I would've liked to see his face."

          "Right, right?!  I should've taken a picture!"

          I… was a human, Sasuke thought.

          When the sun started to slowly set, fireflies started to fly around.  While Naruto happily chased after the bright little flashes of green light, Sasuke covered the floor of cave they found with fragrant pine leaves.  The fire they made in front of the cave slightly warmed the leaves, so soon the leaves gave off most sweet scent.

          When Sasuke lay on the hard floor and was thinking to himself how unsanitary the cave floor was, Naruto ran in and buried his head in Sasuke's chest.  Sasuke scolded him, saying 'It's hot', but since Sasuke didn't push him away, Naruto stayed close to him.  Naruto lifted his face up and smiled at Sasuke.

          "Today… was really fun.  If I was alone, I would've been very lonely."

          Sasuke watched him with his coal-black eyes, and then he gave Naruto a small smile in return.

          "Yeah, it was fun.  Being with Naruto makes me happy, so I'm glad."

          Sasuke was finally making an expression that an 'eighteen years old boy' would make.  That seemed so 'lovable' that Naruto gave him a light kiss on his cheek. 

          "Wha--!"  Sasuke said, blushing.  Naruto pressed his cheek against Sasuke's chest, where his heart was thumping rapidly.

          "Good night, Sasuke."

          There was a short silence, then Sasuke softly replied, "…Night."

          The long distance that they walked tired them out enough to put the two to sleep quickly.  A pair of pure-white eyes were watching the two from a short distance away from them.  The animal's black coat shone blue in the silvery moonlight.  The feline eyes narrowed as it sniffed the air around it, and then it turned away and melted into the darkness of the night.

---

To Be Continued

          "…To you…  Am I no longer even a friend?  Am I nothing to you…?  Everything we did together as Team 7…!  That meant nothing to you at all!!?"  Naruto screamed at Sasuke, his face contorted with the pain of betrayal.  It hurt.  It hurt so much that his heart felt like it was being ripped out.  More than anger, there was feeling of such deep 'sadness' that Sasuke's eyes trembled in return.  He couldn't hide the feeling of fatigue from his face.  He was so tired…

          Gently lowering his face, Sasuke softly murmured, "…No…. That's not meaningless…  To me…" 

          "You've become my 'closest friend'."

          …Is it just me, or does this dialogue sound like it came directly out of a doujinshi(fan comic)?  (Kishimoto-sensei, so much fan service… ;;;;;;)  With this chapter, Kishimoto-sensei finally managed to make me cry.  My heart throbs so much that I can't control overflowing emotions.  And one word that rang in my mind was:

          "Sasuke no baka baka baka dai bakaaaaaa!!!!!"

          …Anyway.  Sasuke's love confession(…) to Naruto aside, I'm currently reading a novel named  赤の神紋  (Scarlet Cross) by 桑原水菜 (Kuwabara Mizuna).   It's really good!  X3  Waaa, I want to write as well as she does.  (But psychotic, possessive seme is kind of frightening.  I'm not sure if I can write such a seme.  For Shiro it's always love-love kind of relationship, so…  That kind of intense relationship might be difficult…)

          Mm, mm, from the way the comic's going, Sasuke becoming psychotic, possessive seme doesn't seem out of question, either, but. ;;;;;; (I like insane, power-hungry Sasuke very much, too, but I'm not sure if I can write/draw him…)


	11. Clutch

"He's near."

Pale, thin lips were curled back into an insincere smile. Lowering his head so that his long black hair hid his face, the man lowly chuckled.

"Sasuke… He is very near…"

"Would you like him to be brought here, Orochimaru-sama?" A young man standing next to Orochimaru asked, adjusting the glasses on his nose. Orochimaru shook his head.

"The time is yet early. When the moment is right, the child shall seek powers. He will come to me."

Hoarse, inhuman laughter continued to sound through the dark dungeon. "Yes, he shall come…"

* * *

Dai 11 Wa: –Blood and Ashes- Clutch at Your Wounded Heart

* * *

Within thick blanket of darkness, even stars refused to shine. Crickets weakly chirped, and in the distance occasional cries of cicada mingled with rustle of restless night animals. A black feline curved its smooth back, its pale eyes dimly shining against the blackness of the night. It gracefully tossed its head back, and as it slowly rose upon its hindquarters, it seemed as if it had melted into the night. The only part of the feline that remained visible was the liquid white eyes. 

"Gaara-sama."

Soft human voice escaped its throat. A low growl answered his call. A small raccoon-dog carefully circled around the feline, then it, too, melted into the thickness of the night. For few seconds, white and green eyes shined brightly in the lightless summer night. Suddenly clouds parted, allowing a sliver of moonlight to pierce through the murky darkness. The illumination revealed two boys, rather than two animals. The boys were standing side-by-side, one leaning against a tree and the other pacing back and forth nervously. Pale moonlight ran across the boys' cheeks like silver fluid, and their eyes glinted dangerously.

"This strange scent—who was the one who dared to invade our territory?" Gaara asked, slightly baring his fangs. His companion remained motionless.

"There are two. One is a human male and the other is a demon cub. Both seem to be about two decades old."

"Why would a demon stay with a human, Hyuuga? What kind of demon is it?"

Neji lowered his eyes. "I don't know. He has quite a strange scent—I've never encountered someone like him. His scent is very weak; he leaks of human. I think the two are a mated pair."

"A demon that had mated with a human?" Gaara repeated. His face changed from mild irritation to outright annoyance. His pace increased in speed, as if he was impatient to destroy the trespassers. Clouds rolled across the sky, covering up the moon again. Darkness again fell.

"I do not think they pose any threat," Neji started. Gaara shook his head.

"That doesn't really matter. I shall kill them."

"As you wish."

A rustle of leaves, and then a shadow streaked across the forest floor. Left alone, Neji tilted his head up to look at the sky. Suddenly his expressionless face cracked down as his expressive white eyes filled with sadness. Holding his hands tightly against his side, he lowered his face until his face was submerged into the darkness. His lips slowly opened.

"Sa… suke…"

* * *

"Where is he?!" 

Iruka struggled against Itachi's grip. Itachi, his robes disheveled and his hair loosely hanging around his shoulders, stared at Iruka with frantic eyes. He shoved Iruka further against the wall, his grip growing stronger as his eyes widened.

"Give my brother back to me! Where is Sasuke! Give him back!!!"

"Itachi-sama…"

"If they touched a hair on his head, I would kill everyone! You helped that demon child to seduce my Sasuke, didn't you?! I should've killed all of you demons! It's all your fault! Give him back!"

"Itachi-sama… I do not know where Sasuke Obousama is. Hatake-san went to look for him, but…"

Itachi's eyes widened so much that his eyes were more white than black. He shook his head, causing his silky hair to whip around his face.

"If he becomes like our parents… I must kill him…! But if I kill him, who will kill me?! If the caged bird escapes, everything is over!"

Iruka took a deep breath, than forced himself to meet his eyes with Itachi's. His young master terrified him, yet at the same time he found the boy so pitiful that he wanted to weep. Itachi stared back at him, but his eyes weren't really focusing on Iruka. His eyes were looking beyond Iruka, at some point past the man.

"You never told me anything, Itachi-sama. What happened at the Uchiha massacre? Why did you kill everyone except Sasuke Obousama? Why do you have such a strong adversity against demons? Why did you accept me into your household, knowing that I am a demon? I don't understand!"

Itachi slowly shook his head again. Suddenly strength went out of his hands, and Iruka weakly slumped down on the floor, but his eyes never left Itachi's eyes. Itachi still refused to directly look at 'Iruka', his eyes still seeing something far into the distance.

"Why did you take him away from me…? He was the only thing left to me. He was the only one who could have killed me; taken me out of this misery called 'living'. While ripping the pure white wings out of his shoulders, I cried… I cried so much…"

Shuddering, Itachi stepped away from Iruka and wrapped his arms around himself. "He's mine… Even if he's broken, even if he's ripped apart, he's my one and only brother. No matter how much your kindness warms him, no matter how much 'Naruto' pours light into him, he will remain in the darkness. So give him back…"

"If you're so fond of him, why can't you let him go?" Iruka slowly asked. "Don't you want Sasuke Obousama to be happy? If he's so important to you, why do you want to destroy him so much?"

Itachi lowered his head. Low chuckle came from deep within his throat.

"Only by being filled with hatred will my Sasuke be reborn. He must live only for me, only to kill me. One who has something 'precious' to protect can never be strong as one who has something to 'avenge'. Ah, yes, yes…"

Itachi's voice steadily dropped until he was barely speaking louder than whispering. Iruka felt the blood in his veins freeze at the cruelty that slowly seeped into the boy's voice, like a poison rapidly dispersing through water.

"That demon boy… he's 'precious' to Sasuke, is he not? The one who took my brother away from me. Yes, he must die. And then Sasuke would taste true 'despair'."

"Itachi-sama…!" Iruka interrupted, paling, but Itachi's shoulders shook with mirth as he continued to speak.

"I see. I will kill him. In front of Sasuke, I will tear him from limb to limb. Yes, that would break Sasuke, won't it? My foolish little brother… With the last of his wings stripped away, he would never leave me."

Iruka tried to speak, but he felt as if he couldn't breath. In the silence, Itachi's hysterical laughter loudly echoed through the empty room.

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto skipping ahead of him. He tried to remain expressionless, but he couldn't quite hide the tinge of smile staining his lips. Naruto was loudly talking as he was moving, and at his loud voice birds nervously chattered to themselves before flying away. The sunlight that filtered through the thick green foliages of late summer was a brilliant green in color, and Naruto's skin also shone emerald while his eyes turned into deep sea green. His orange-jumper suit, unfortunately, did not receive the green light too well, for it had turned into a sickly brown hue. 

"The village leader is a lot like my grandfather! He sometimes buys me ramen. Do you like ramen, Sasuke? Oh yeah, you told me you hated it. Anyway, he's obnoxious, nagging old fart, but he's really nice inside. I think you'll like him!"

"…Is that so."

"Mm-hm! And now I brought a friend home with me, so I can go back to the village! He'll be surprised when he finds out that I completed my mission, right?"

Sasuke tried to sound insulted. "Then you wanted me to follow you only because of your mission to bring a friend?"

"Of course; why else would I want a pain in the neck like you to follow me all the way back home?" Naruto cheerfully answered. But the smile he showed Sasuke reassured him that his words weren't truthful. The smile showed Naruto's fangs as his blue eyes narrowed playfully. Somehow everything felt surreal, as if he was dreaming. Feeling overwhelmed, Sasuke stopped walking and leaned against thick trunk of an oak tree. Naruto also stopped walking, then he charged at Sasuke and tightly hugged him.

"Sasuke! Are you pissed off? Aw, don't be mad! I cancel that pain in the neck thing."

Reaching up to Sasuke's face, Naruto stretched Sasuke's cheeks out. "Let's smile, smile!" Naruto said, attempting to move Sasuke's muscles into a smile. Sasuke swatted Naruto's hands away and pushed off from the tree, resuming to walk again.

"I'm not angry… I'm just getting a headache from your incessant talking. Shut your mouth, won't you?"

Naruto's response was cheerfully showing him his middle fingers before running ahead again. Sasuke lightly sighed.

"…you really are happy about returning, aren't you."

"Eh, do I look that way to you?" Naruto asked. He didn't turn around to look at Sasuke. "Actually, I don't want to return at all! Everyone in the village hated me, because… You know, I'm not a human. I hate humans, and humans hate me. It can't be helped, since humans and demons always end up harming each other. But,"

Naruto tilted his head slightly, looking at Sasuke by corner of his eyes.

"While traveling, I learned that humans are not so bad after all. And after being 'friends' with Sasuke… Mm, well, I really like Sasuke, so I don't want to hate humans anymore. But if Sasuke betrays me, I might never be able to trust in humans again."

Naruto lightly laughed, but Sasuke could tell that it was a strained laughter. Naruto was exposing so much of himself, knowing Sasuke could hurt him. Sasuke lowered his dark eyes. …How much of himself was he exposing to Naruto? Did he really trust in Naruto enough to let himself get hurt?

No. He was still hiding behind his mask.

"But if I betray you?"

Naruto stopped walking. There was a short silence, then Naruto quietly said, "Then I would have to kill you."

"Naruto."

Naruto visibly flinched. His hands tightly clenched into fists, Naruto refused to look back at Sasuke. Sasuke softly called out to him again.

"Naruto. Look at me."

Naruto slowly turned his head around. Tears were gathering at the edge of his eyes, but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Sasuke's expression.

Warmly smiling, Sasuke softly said, "…I would like that."

"Huh?"

"…because if you betray me, I would kill you, too." Sasuke's voice was sweet, but there was something deadly about his tone, like sweet poison. As if drawn to the danger that he represented, Naruto slowly stepped towards him and reached out hopefully. Much like a moth drawn to fire, Naruto's hand touched Sasuke's hand. Sasuke wiped Naruto's tears away with his slender fingers, then as suddenly as it appeared, his cruel smile was gone, and his usual expressionless face returned.

"Let's get to your village before the sun sets."

Naruto was visibly relieved. Pushing his goggles up further on his head, Naruto widely nodded. "It's only a short distance from here! Ah, I want to eat ramen from Ichikaru! It's been such a long time since I ate from that store! It's not much of a village, but it's my home, so please don't say mean things about it, Sasuke."

Sasuke remained silent as he followed Naruto. As they got closer and closer to Naruto's village, Sasuke became uneasy. Something felt wrong. If they were getting close to a village, they should start hearing sounds. There should be signs of people inhabiting the place—trash, upturned soil, trees cut for firewood. But the place was eerily silent.

Naruto suddenly stopped, then he retraced his steps and came back to Sasuke. The two silently regarded each other, then Naruto took Sasuke's hand.

"…Sasuke. I smell blood…"

"Blood?"

"And ashes. Lots and lots of blood and ashes…"

Sasuke's eyes darkened. His lips thinned out as his grip on Naruto's hand became tighter. "…come on, Naruto."

The two's steps became more hurried. As they got closer and closer to the village, even a human like Sasuke could catch strong metallic odor of blood, the smell of something rotting, the scent of burnt wood and flesh. Sasuke walked faster and faster until he was all but running. Naruto reluctantly followed, his expression stiffening more and more as the scent became almost overwhelmingly strong.

The two burst out of the forest. Sudden encounter with unfiltered sunlight left the two blinking for few seconds to adjust to the different volume of light. Naruto suddenly collapsed to his knees, and Sasuke's sight slowly returned and he, too, involuntarily took a step back. The boys' shocked eyes absorbed the scene of a massacre.

"Old man…" Naruto hoarsely whispered. He leapt up from his seat and ran down the hill towards the village. Sasuke sharply called out after him, but Naruto continued to run. Cursing under his breath, Sasuke followed.

Everything had been destroyed. Things that have not been burnt have been destroyed. Among piles of human skeletons, here and there were scattered mutilated human body pieces. Eyeballs gleamed in the sunlight brilliantly as flies swarmed around them, and gray and brown matter—Sasuke thought that they were crushed brain and liver—were rotting as a thick mush. Pieces of arm and legs were haphazardly tossed here and there, and few decapitated heads that were not burnt rolled around in the pile of ashes, bones, and human remains. The dead eyes accusingly looked up into the sky, the pupils as dull as those of dead fish.

"U…eeeee…"

Sasuke sharply looked up, then he walked towards Naruto, who was busy losing his breakfast. Gently patting his back, Sasuke coldly looked around himself again. Compared to the time when he was but a young child and stared at mutilated remains of his beloved parents and relatives, so recently killed that blood ran like river and organs still weakly pulsed, this was nothing. But he wished that Naruto didn't have to see something like this. No one should be forced to see the murdered remains of the ones that he cared about…

"Did you finish throwing up?" Sasuke asked. Naruto coughed, then he weakly nodded. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Naruto stared at his surroundings with blank eyes. He covered his face with his hands.

"U…waaa….aaa…"

Sasuke turned his head away. Naruto's voice became more and more hysterical until he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"AAAAAAAA!!! Fuuu…uuuu... Aaaa…!!!"

Naruto's body started to shake. Sasuke slowly approached him, and Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's shirt.

"…Why? Who? When…?"

Sasuke remained silent. He instead held the trembling fox kit in his arms, running his hands through his untidy blond hair soothingly as if he was patting a puppy. Then he quietly said, "Let's leave, Naruto."

"But I… I don't have a place to return to… Where do I go now? I don't have a home… No one is waiting for me…"

"I will be your 'place to return to'. I will wait for you. Let's go, Naruto."

Naruto lifted his tear-wet face, then nodded. The two slowly made their way uphill again. Sasuke was walking ahead of Naruto, but frankly he had no idea where to go. He couldn't return to the Uchiha manor. Naruto lost his home. Where could the two of them go now?

"Sasuke!!!"

Sasuke's eyes saw a red blur speeding towards him. He instantly pushed Naruto down the hill as he swung his arm out to protect Naruto from whatever was approaching. His brain registered intense pain on his right arm, and at the same time blood gushed out from his arm like a fountain, shining brilliantly like red gems. His left hand automatically reached for the scrolls hidden in his robe as his body rolled backwards from momentum of his arm nearly getting ripped out of its socket. Tearing the seal off the scroll with his teeth, Sasuke fluidly pulled back the scroll to roll it open. Kicking back with his legs and jumping high up into the air, Sasuke's black eyes narrowed, his silky blue hair swinging behind him as he chanted.

"Guardian of fire that protects this one, come to my aid now: spell of fire balls!"

The scroll dissipated, and Sasuke took a deep breath before gathering his hand in front of his mouth and blowing out fiery balls of fire. The entity that attacked him cut through the fire, its green eyes shining with maniac joy of killing. Sand surrounded the beast that resembled a raccoon, extinguishing the fire as it lounged at Sasuke, its sharp teeth protruding from its jaws. It snapped at Sasuke's arm, as if intending to cut off the injured arm. Sasuke swung out of the way, his feet landing on a tree trunk before he pushed off and used the spin in his turn to kick the animal.

The raccoon-dog's jaws snapped around Sasuke's ankle, and Sasuke bit his lips to prevent agonized scream escaping from his throat as he crashed into the ground. The animal's eyes shone in frenzied delight as it opened its jaws again, this time aiming for Sasuke's throat.

"Get away from Sasuke!!!"

A blur of gold shot out from the forest floor, knocking into the raccoon-dog and pulling it away from Sasuke. Sasuke, his arms and legs bloody and tattered, sharply screamed,

"Stay away! What are you doing, you dunce?!"

The fox kit snarled, baring its teeth at the raccoon-dog, who growled in return. Gold and scarlet mingled together as the two attempted to bite each other's throat, kicking up dirt and leaves everywhere. The raccoon-dog suddenly stopped attacking, its green eyes widening as piercing blue eyes stared into his. Naruto triumphantly pushed him into the ground, his nine tails swishing behind him as his sharp teeth attempted to bite the raccoon-dog's throat and end his life. But Naruto froze as the raccoon-dog opened his mouth.

"…Naruto?"

* * *

-To Be Continued- 

Action scenes are difficult, but fun to write. X3 Somehow many characters are becoming scary! [What have you done, Shiro?!] Both Itachi and Sasuke seem to have a lot of issues to work out, both in this fiction and in the original story. Maybe it's an Uchiha thing--to kill and destroy the ones you love. ;;;;;; Naruto, bring Sasuke back home, even if you have to half-kill him to do so! Do your best! (…because I don't want to see fully transformed version of Sasuke. The horns are ugly!) [Oi, oi…]

Tsunade-oneesama! The more of her I watch, the more fond of her I become. Currently she is Shiro's favorite female character number one! Her slug had a very cute voice, so I was very surprised. Number two is Temari. She loves her brothers, and she is strong yet kind! Not to mention, her voice actress is Paku Romi-sama ♡ Paku Romi-sama's Edward Elric is really cute, but her Temari is very cool. I think Temari is the only kunoichi who can look tough even while wearing pink ☆ Please draw lots and lots of Tsunade-oneesama and Temari, Kishimoto-sensei! Meanwhile, the more of Orochimaru I watch, the more scared of him I become. …Orochimaru, please, please cut out using the female pattern of speech! It's really, really disturbing! ;--;

Eh, but this chapter really was weird... What with Itachi and Orochimaru and Gaara and everyone who's supposed to be the antogonist popping up everywhere... I had a surgery this week, and I don't think it went well because I'm in a lot of pain right now. X.x Somehow the painkillers don't do much except giving me a massive headache and making me want to vomit (geh). If this chapter sounds really strange, please forgive me. Let's blame it on the medications! X3


	12. Jealousy

Orochimaru. He did forbidden spells that turned humans into demons. An ancient, power-hungry snake demon, Orochimaru dreamed of living for eternity and created unthinkable, cruel spells. With demon powers that Orochimaru could give him—

He can have Naruto all to himself.

Sasuke shook his head. "Naruto… Wouldn't want that…"

But should he just sit and watch Gaara take Naruto away from him? While his short human lifespan ended, Naruto would become Gaara's mate. Naruto would carry Gaara's children. Naruto—

"That's wrong. I'm strong enough on my own. I can protect Naruto with my own hands." Sasuke bit into his lips. "I don't need Orochimaru's powers."

How could a mere human boy like him win against Gaara? All Gaara needed to do, really, was to wait until he became old and sickly. Humans were fragile beings. But if he became a demon like Naruto, like Gaara, like Orochimaru—

"It's not worth it. Going to Orochimaru is betraying my brother, Naruto… Betraying myself."

But even if he lied to himself, as long as Naruto was by his side… As long as his smile, his tears, his everything could belong to him…

Sasuke buried his face in his hands.

"Naruto… Even if I must be tainted…"

* * *

Dai 12 Wa: –Crossed Feelings- Fury, Jealousy, and Affection

* * *

"…Naruto?" 

Naruto stepped away from the raccoon dog as if burnt. His teeth were still bared, and fury that lit up his blue eyes still burned brightly, but confusion was seeping into edges of the orbs. All of his golden fur standing at an end and his nine tails swishing behind him nervously, Naruto asked, "…Who are you?"

"Gaara… Gaara of the Sand. Don't you remember me?" Gaara asked. He no longer showed his fangs, but his claws remained exposed. He gave a weary look at Sasuke before stepping closer to Naruto, but Naruto immediately backed away and snarled.

"I don't know who you are."

Gaara tried to sniff noses with Naruto so that Naruto would remember his scent, but Naruto turned his head away. He inched closer to Sasuke and bared his fangs again.

"Naruto… When you were three weeks old, your father brought you to our land to be acquainted with my clan. That was when we first met." Gaara's eyes slightly softened. "You've grown up into a wonderful nine-tailed fox while we were apart. I was waiting for you all this time. I wanted to see you."

"I didn't want to meet you at all!" Naruto snapped, a growl mingling with his words. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I can't forgive you for hurting Sasuke. How could you hurt someone who didn't do anything to you?!"

"He was a potential threat to you, and he was a trespasser of our lands," Gaara said. He looked confused and hurt. "Anyway, he's your meal, isn't he? Isn't it better if he's immobile?"

Naruto exploded, "I'm not going to _eat_ him, you dumbass!"

He turned to Sasuke, who had been silently watching the two's exchange. Naruto climbed on Sasuke's lap and placed his front paws on his chest to look at his face.

"Sasuke, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke scratched the patch of fur between Naruto's ears. The ears twitched at the sensation. "More importantly, what about you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Naruto shook his head and licked Sasuke's cheek.

"Shouldn't we try to stop your bleeding? Those wounds look really painful."

Sasuke glanced at his tattered arm and leg. Flesh had been crudely ripped away, and blood was profusely escaping from the wounds. "I don't know much healing spells—"

"You…"

Sasuke and Naruto turned to look at Gaara. Something unreadable was lighting up his eyes. "I thought he had mistaken, since I thought it was impossible for demons who are not even ten decades old to mate. But the human's disgusting scent is all over your body. Naruto, have you mated with that… that human?"

Sasuke saw the dangerous light flashing across Gaara's eyes and reached for his scrolls. Naruto himself was, as usual, as dense as a piece of rock. Oblivious to Gaara's bristling fur and sharpened eyes, Naruto coldly said, "So?"

With a sharp, indignant cry, Gaara leapt towards Sasuke's throat again. Sasuke backed away on his good leg and loosened the seal on the spell scroll. But before the boys were engaged in a fight again, they were stopped by a kunai that sailed through the air between the two. The kunai lodged itself in the trunk of an oak tree with a dull, wooden sound. Sasuke, Gaara, and Naruto whipped their head around in the direction that the knife came from. A man with white hair stepped into the filtered green light of the forest, his exposed black eye narrowed.

"Why have you stopped me?! That lowly human touched what is rightfully mine!" Gaara furiously said, glaring at the man. The man smiled in return.

"I understand, but you cannot be rash, Gaara-sama. If you take the life of Uchiha Itachi's younger brother, a war with humans will be inevitable. We cannot afford that right now. You know that well yourself."

Because the man looked so serious, it took few minutes for Naruto to recognize him. Sasuke instantly recognized him, but couldn't figure out why the man was here.

"Eh, Iruka-san's stalker-san! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, finally remembering where he had met Kakashi before. Sasuke narrowed his eyes when Kakashi walked towards Gaara and stood next to him.

"Kakashi. You are… this raccoon demon's subordinate?"

Kakashi gave Sasuke a short nod.

"That is correct. I work for Gaara-sama. Now, Sasuke. Return Gaara-sama's fiancé and go back to your home. Your presence here is troublesome."

Sasuke tightened his hold on Naruto. "Naruto is… his…?"

Naruto glanced back and forth at Sasuke and Kakashi, confusion evident on his face. He had unconsciously extended his claws, but Sasuke didn't say anything even when he felt the claws digging into his cloth and scratching his skin.

"That's right," Gaara said. He sounded a lot more subdued, but there was still contempt and anger underlying his words. "Uzumaki Naruto, the only son of the lord of eastern regions, is engaged to me. Our parents have decided on our coupling since the moment of Naruto's birth. Naruto is to be my mate when he reaches the age of thirteen decades."

"Demons do not go into heat until they are at least ten decades old. Sasuke, even had Naruto been a common demon, you would be long dead before Naruto is sexually mature and fertile. Humans and demons are incompatible." Kakashi lightly sighed. "To think, you've embraced a mere cub like Naruto-sama… And one of such high birth, to top it off. You're out to get into trouble, aren't you."

Sasuke felt Naruto nuzzling at his neck. His nose was wet. He entangled his hands in thick, luscious fur of the fox kitten, biting into his lower lips and lowering his eyes in deep thought.

What Gaara and Kakashi said was true. Sasuke knew that demons easily lived up to a thousand years, if not more. If he couldn't even live as long as Naruto would, Naruto would cry and suffer when he died. If he didn't give Naruto up, a war between humans and demons would start. Many innocent civilians will die. Anyway, Naruto was a demon. He would be much happier married to demon like himself, a demon who could understand him and shared similar customs as he. If only he stopped being selfish, there was solution for everything. He could go back, get married, and rule the western regions just like he was supposed to. Naruto could stay here with his fellow demons and his fiancé who seemed to care about him very much. If he ignored his heart, everything could work out…

"I don't want that."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, startled. Naruto was looking back at Sasuke as if he knew what Sasuke had been thinking. His deep blue eyes unusually serious, Naruto softly repeated, "I don't want that. I don't want to be apart from Sasuke. I don't even remember what my father looked like, much less the whole marriage deal with the raccoon boy. That engagement crap means nothing to me."

Sasuke opened his lips, but was swiftly interrupted by Gaara.

"Naruto."

There was a hint of snarl in Gaara's voice.

"No matter what you did in the past, I can forgive you. But there is no reason why I should tolerate that human. I cannot believe you would be insolent enough to disregard our parents' promise and speak of affection for another when I am right here. If you continue to test my patience, I shall bite off your human's arms and legs. I shall tear his heart out and pull out his eyes. Do not anger me, for I have no desire to make you sad."

"You know what?" Naruto snapped. "You're a big fat bully, and I hate you. I won't marry you even if you're the last demon alive, so you can just go to hell, okay?"

"…"

Gaara's eyes became almost comically wide. Usually his threats sent demons running away with their tail between their legs. Being the future lord of the southern region, he was not used to defiance. But downright contempt and revoke at his warning was-- unheard of.

What was he supposed to do now?

When Gaara started to look like someone took away his favorite toy—upset, angry, and very confused-- Kakashi knew a violent tantrum was eminent. He stepped in front of Gaara and cleared his throat.

"Gaara-sama, Naruto-sama just came to our region and met you. You must give him the time to adjust to his new surroundings and accept the fact that you are his fianc" Naruto stuck his tongue out. "—And that you are a better match for him than the human. The longest that a human can live is a hundred years or so, anyway. Why not let Naruto-sama keep his human toy until he tires of him or he dies? No matter what you do, you mustn't kill the boy. Orochimaru's forces are growing stronger by day; we simply can't afford to make many enemies at once."

Gaara frowned, evidently displease at the idea of having Sasuke around longer than absolutely necessary.

"I couldn't care less about diplomacy. That is _aniue_ and _aneue_'s work. But—I won't kill the human if you promise not to meet the human anymore, Naruto."

"Not meet Sasuke anymore?! Are you nuts?!" Naruto barked. Gaara held up his hand.

"I do not mean that you may not talk to him or see him. I mean you meeting him and doing things such as mates would do together. You may keep the human as a pet, but I do not want my fiancé to engage in a vulgar activities with something like that… thing."

"Don't talk about Sasuke as if he's an object!" Naruto said, but Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto's arm and shook his head. Naruto looked at Sasuke uncertainly, then bit into his lips and lowered his eyes.

"I won't treat Naruto as my lover. Seeing him is enough," Sasuke said. Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"We shall see. While you live among us, Kakashi will be watching you. One false move and consider your life as lost. And Naruto, you shall live with me from now on."

"Live with you?" Naruto echoed. Gaara nodded. Naruto looked apprehensive. "You—You're not going to do anything _weird_, are you?"

"Not for another hundred years, and definitely not before you accept me as your mate," Gaara promised. Naruto worriedly looked at Sasuke, who gave him a small nod. Naruto looked at Gaara and nodded.

"Okay. Living with you can't be that bad, right?"

A relieved, shy smile rose to Gaara's lips. It was but for a short moment, but Naruto clearly saw his smile. Because somehow he knew that the boy's smiles were rare, Naruto couldn't help but give him a small smile in return. Gaara immediately blushed and turned away. Sasuke silently watched the two, knowing Naruto would be with Gaara all the time now. Something that Sasuke couldn't name was making his heart pound faster and his blood boil. With a start, Sasuke suddenly realized what it was that he was feeling.

'I'm jealous,' Sasuke thought, surprised.

Kakashi slyly grinned beneath his mask. He was having fun.

* * *

"Why have you left Iruka-dono?" 

Kakashi set a cup of tea in front of Sasuke and shook his head. After having healing herbs plastered on his wounds and getting bandaged up, Kakashi, Gaara, Sasuke, and Naruto had traveled to the heart of the southern region. From there Sasuke had been taken to Kakashi's home, while Gaara took Naruto to his home. Somehow Sasuke felt so nervous and upset that he couldn't bring himself to drink the tea.

"I didn't leave him. I just can't bring him here right now."

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, watching Kakashi pour out a cup of tea for himself. Kakashi slowly emptied his cup, then picked up a rice cracker.

"Because there will be a war very soon. Iruka-dono lived far too long among the humans. He won't be able to protect himself. Besides, there is very little that a dolphin demon like him can do in a desert like this."

"War? Why should Orochimaru declare war against the southern region? He is a demon, too, isn't he?"

"He wishes to control the southern region before Naruto-sama becomes Gaara-sama's mate, and it would be best to attack when Gaara-sama is still a young cub. It will be troublesome for him if the southern and eastern region are united, won't it?" Kakashi lightly chuckled. "Actually, I think he kills just for the sake of killing, but. Anyway, some sort of crash was inevitable. Orochimaru was getting intolerant."

"…Yes. _Aniue_ was telling me of endless massacres, of human experiments, of forbidden magic of giving demonic powers to humans. Can he really make humans into demons?"

Kakashi looked grave. "It is not worth it. You get demonic powers, but normal human body cannot handle it, so your body quickly breaks down and you die. Besides, demons created like that are mere puppets of Orochimaru; shadows of real demons. They do not belong to human society or demon society. They are outcasts."

Sasuke remained silent, tapping his fingers against the tea cup. He suddenly looked up.

"…Why are you here?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi's eyes briefly hardened, but they quickly flickered back into their typical mildness.

"Why shouldn't I be here?"

"Because this is the demon's region, and you—" Sasuke's eyes met Kakashi's eyes. "—Are a human."

* * *

Naruto wearily eyed the suspicious lump of red object placed in front of him. Gaara sat next to him, nervously watching him for his reaction. Naruto poked the thing and quickly withdrew his fingers at the wet, slimy texture. He made a face. 

"…You want me to eat this thing?"

"You dislike chicken?" Gaara asked. Naruto poked the meat again.

"Isn't this raw?"

"How else would you eat it?" Gaara questioned. Naruto stared at his fiancé in bewilderment.

"You eat raw meat? But that's unsanitary!"

Gaara looked as lost as Naruto did. After a brief silence, he asked, "If you don't like chicken meat, shall I catch you a mouse?"

This offer met even colder rejection: "That's gross!"

"…Foxes are carnivores, aren't they? If you don't consume raw meat, what do you eat?"

Naruto brightened.

"Do you have ramen?"

"…Ramu… ne? What can that possibly be?"

There were few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, then Naruto sighed.

"…Never mind. I'm not hungry right now, anyway," Naruto said. At Gaara's dejected droop of shoulders, he hurriedly added, "I eat fruits and I can eat raw fish, so… Um… Please catch some fish for me later!"

Gaara immediately brightened and obediently nodded. Naruto broadly grinned. Gaara looked contemplative, then he quietly said, "…You really look a lot like your father."

"Eh, really?" Naruto asked, scratching his cheek. Gaara nodded, then gave Naruto a small smile.

"Since Naruto is so pretty, I'm sure our pups will be beautiful."

"…"

Naruto gave Gaara an awkward smile. For Naruto who grew up as a human boy all his life, the idea of sleeping with another guy was uncomfortable enough, but the idea of pregnancy was downright weird. And if he did have kits, he wanted them to be Sasuke's kits…

"Ah! You know the area around here well, right? You live here, after all," Naruto said, attempting to change the topic. Gaara nodded. "You know the Hidden Leaf Village, right? It's where I met you, and there is mountain surrounding the place."

"The place where Naruto grew up," Gaara said, nodding.

Naruto hesitated, then softly asked, "…Who destroyed it…? When I came back, everyone… I…"

Shadow crossed Gaara's face. Looking into Naruto's eyes, Gaara softly said,

"Orochimaru."

* * *

-To be Continued- 

Uwaaa. Thank you for the get-well wishes! I should be thankful enough that you are bothering to read my story and even review it, but to think that you'll be kind enough to wish me better health! You're all too kind. Thank you for the adorable card, Teki Star-san.

This week's Naruto episode made my vocal chords suffer. My throat really hurt after I finished watching the episode. ;;;;; And the reason for Shiro screaming obscenities to his computer screen was Sa. Ku. Ra-- ♪ After such a long period of absence, Sasuke finally appears in anime again, and the first thing I have to see is Sakura hugging Sasuke.

…Keh. Kimochi warui. (Oi, oi…;;;;)

Naruto had such a sad expression on his face as he left! He probably felt very left out. Knowing the girl he likes doesn't give a flying rat's ass about him but is willing to do anything for his best friend, Naruto wishes both of their happiness and leaves them alone. BUT! Naruto, you must think of Sasuke's feelings! Sasuke only thinks of Sakura as his precious friend! The one he really cares about is _you_, you dense fool! …But I'll forgive this episode, since Sasuke who just woke up from sleep looked cute ♥ (Stop that, you oyaji…)

Ah, Hinata-chan, Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, and Konohamaru-chan came out on this week's episode, too! How Shikamaru thinks of Sakura and Ino was… quite funny, to say the least. …Don't worry, Shikamaru, you can be gay! (That's not the point… ;;;;;)


	13. Reunion

"Why?! Why do I have to go live with the demons?!" A small child cried, tears running down his round face unchecked. His white eyes searched the grown-up who held his hand, but the adult didn't reply.

"_Ojisama _(Uncle)! Please don't send Neji-chan away!" A child about Neji's age begged, his dark eyes opened wide. "Please, please don't make Neji-chan go live with the demons! Neji-chan will die!"

"I want to stay and play with Sasuke-chan! I don't want to go!" Neji said. But the man continued to drag the small child away by his hand as Sasuke followed, his tiny feet soon failing to catch up to the two.

"Neji-chan! I'll come meet you later, so…" Sasuke yelled, tears also filling up his eyes. "So don't forget me! We'll meet again for sure!"

Neji glanced back at the figure of his cousin, which grew smaller and smaller.

"Sasuke-chan," he tearfully said.

"Don't forget me, Neji-chan! I'll come to meet you!"

That was the last time Hyuuga Neji had a friend.

* * *

Dai 13 Wa: -Reunion- Someday We'll Touch the Sky Together

* * *

Sasuke's eyes were looking at the horizon, but the gaze was not focused in any one specific spot. In fact, his eyes were rather glazed. His long bangs hiding almost half of his eyes, what remained exposed of his eyes glittered among misty morning air. Despite it being late summer, dawn's air was cold enough to make breathing uncomfortable, yet Sasuke did not move. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, his body partly leaning against an evergreen that would easily be five meters in height.

A week. It had been a week since last time he had seen Naruto.

Sasuke shifted so that the tree beside him no longer supported his weight. He turned his head to stare at the pine tree. He closed his eyes, then plunged his head forward. His head hit the trunk with a dull thud. He lifted his head up, then repeated the process, again and again, until he felt the skin of his forehead break and blood dripped down into his eyes.

'It hurts.'

That in itself was strange. Just because he could not see Naruto, his heart throbbed painfully. When he thought about Naruto, his breath hitched in his throat. How could one person have such influence over him? But more so then the pain, the feeling of 'emptiness' made him hug himself tightly, resting his bloodied forehead against the rough bark.

Life was getting unbearable. For Sasuke, who was naturally paranoid, it annoyed him to no end that Kakashi was constantly watching over him. Feeling eyes at the back of his head all the time made him often feel the urge to kill the person spying on him. The only reason he consented to staying with demons—demons did not view him too kindly, and few times Kakashi's intervention had been necessary for Sasuke to escape bodily harm—was because of Naruto. But so far, he couldn't even get a glance of Naruto.

"…im… back…"

His voice came out strangled, hoarse, like he was on a verge of dying from thirst.

"Give him back…"

The cries sounded desperate, almost animal-like.

"Give him back! Give him back to me!!! Why have you taken him away from me?! Return my Naruto!!!"

Sasuke's voice steadily increased until he was shouting at top of his lungs, his hands still wrapped around his body as he felt strange powers surge through his body. He tasted metal at the back of his throat. Faint blue energy waves surrounded his body, barely visible yet awe-inspiring, and Sasuke knew that his eyes had turned the color of blood with two dark spots embedded around his pupils.

Abruptly Sasuke cut his powers off, rapidly taking deep breathes to calm down. He leaned against the tree again. His eyes were tightly closed, and he violently shivered. The powers he was never supposed to reveal to others. The forbidden blood that flowed within his veins; the unforgivable sin that he had been born with—

"Sa…suke."

Sasuke sharply whipped his head around. His _sharingan_ was still there, and as blood-tinted eyes focused on pure-white eyes, Sasuke sharply recoiled. But his companion remained composed, silent--serene.

"Sasuke," the gentle voice called again. Sasuke bit into his lower lips.

"Why…?"

Neji closed his mouth and regarded the other boy instead. The sun started to shed its rays of light beyond the horizon, indicating the approaching morning's start. Sasuke's eyes lit up brilliantly like pieces of ruby, but his face remained pale and ashen.

"Why are you here…? Hyuuga Neji!"

"You remember me," Neji quietly said. He lowered his eyes. "I am glad."

"Cut out the shit and get to the point. What do you want?" Sasuke sharply questioned. Neji's eyes briefly focused on Sasuke's tattered forehead that bled the same color as his eyes, then he turned his eyes away.

"Do you like it here?"

"I told you not to beat around the bushes!" Sasuke hysterically screamed, his entire body trembling at the effort. Neji's expression didn't change.

"Naruto-sama seems to get along well with Gaara-sama. I think he likes it here."

Sasuke suddenly felt the strength drain out of his body. Slumping against the tree, he growled, "Get lost before I kill you."

At that Neji let a hint of smirk arise on his lips. "Oh? But you haven't eaten nor slept for days. Do you think you can defeat me?"

"I have enough strength remaining to kill you."

Neji suddenly turned his eyes back to glare at Sasuke. "Are you going to let him take your mate away from you like that? Are you certain you're not going to regret your decision?"

"You said so yourself. Naruto is happy." Sasuke felt the rough texture of the tree's outer layer scratching his cheeks, but he leaned further against the tree. "My life is too short. I am too powerless. There is nothing I can do for him."

"What if you become a demon yourself?"

Sasuke startled. His widened eyes gazed at Neji in bewilderment.

"Are you suggesting that I go to Orochimaru?"

Neji's eyes narrowed in return. "There are other ways to become a demon. If you stab the heart of a thousand demons and your hands are steeped in their blood, you can become a demon. If you murder demons of the highest class—Gaara-sama, for example—you'll be cursed, and you'll become a demon like me." Sasuke turned his head away in disgust, but Neji continued. "What Orochimaru is doing—forcing demon's soul to be accepted in human body—is not only forbidden, but the human has to pay heavy consequent for the demon soul inhabiting human body."

Sasuke lowly laughed. There was something wrong with his laughter, just a touch of insanity to make the laughter sound cold and dry, rather than joyous. "I cannot even fight evenly with the one who took Naruto away from me with my own hands. You think I can kill a thousand demons? Destroy that raccoon-dog demon? The only option left to me is Orochimaru…"

"You can't do that!" Neji said. For the first time, his tone became sharp. He immediately softened his tone, repeating, "You can't do something like that. It's not something that any human should experience. If it is Naruto-sama that you want, be satisfied in seeing him while you are alive. If it is demonic powers you want, I shall do my best to help you gain that power. But you can't go to Orochimaru."

Sasuke's voice became harsh. "What do you care? You're a demon, too."

Neji looked stung. Color rose to his cheeks. "But not by choice. You are aware of that, also. And—the only one who showed kindness to me as a child was—you. You might not think so, but I still consider you my cousin, my friend."

Sasuke wordlessly stared at Neji, his red eyes glistening uncertainly. Neji quietly looked back at him, his face becoming expressionless again. Suddenly Sasuke's _sharingan_ disappeared.

"…I still consider you as my friend, too."

Neji turned away. "Your brother and the demon that Kakashi had been courting are approaching this area. Gaara-sama and Kakashi went greet them. I am supposed to be watching over you, but—If I accidentally lose the sight of you and you just happen to meet Naruto-sama, I don't think it will be a big problem, provided you are careful enough to not be discovered by Gaara-sama."

Sasuke's eyes widened briefly before he suddenly broke into a smile.

"…Thanks!"

Neji watched Sasuke running energetically, as if all the fatigue had suddenly vanished from his body. He allowed a small smile to slip through his mask.

"Even if I must betray Gaara-sama, as long as my beloved is happy…"

* * *

"This itches."

Gaara lifted his head up to look at his fiancé questioningly. While Gaara was sitting on the floor with various scrolls stretched out on his lap, Naruto was plopped on his bed, his hand resting against his neck. Naruto pulled away his hand to show the mosquito bite to Gaara.

"The weather's not even that hot anymore, so I have no idea why I got bit by a stupid mosquito! Did it swell up a lot?"

Gaara nodded. "It might be a parasitic specie that lay her eggs under your skin. Did you squeeze the bump to make sure there are no eggs there? How long had that been itching?"

"…Eggs under my skin?!" Naruto repeated, making a disgusted face. "Are you kidding me?!"

Gaara shook his head. Naruto pressed his hand against the bite again, panicked expression rapidly crossing his face. "How the hell do I squeeze it out?! That's so gross! Why are there so many _bugs_ in this place?!"

"Well, considering we're near the forest, existence of insect is an inevitable occurrence. If you want me to, I'll take out the blood near the bite for you."

Naruto nodded. Gaara pushed the scrolls away and stood up. He crossed over to the bed and kneeled over Naruto. One of his hand resting against Naruto's shoulder and the other hand gently jutting Naruto's head to the side, Gaara lowered his head and bit into Naruto's neck.

"Eh? Eh?! Gaara?"

Naruto blushed, remembering what Sasuke did to him when he kissed and sucked his neck. Gaara's canines broke into the mosquito bite, and he sucked the blood out before he pulled away. He spat the blood into his sleeve before he started to gingerly lick Naruto's wound.

"I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

"N, no," Naruto stammered. He blushed a brighter color of red as Gaara nuzzling against his neck reminded him of something far less innocent. He placed his hands on Gaara's chest and gently pushed him away. "I, I'm okay now. Thanks."

Bright green-colored eyes bore into big blue orbs, then Gaara nodded and backed away. Naruto watched Gaara going back to studying the scrolls. Despite what he thought of Gaara initially, Gaara was a lot like himself in many ways. Even though Gaara had siblings, they were more afraid of him then affectionate of him, and Gaara was always alone. Demons around Gaara feared and respected him, but no one liked him. Perhaps because he was so starved for love, Gaara was pouring out all the affection he had bottled up in his heart to Naruto. Knowing this made Naruto guilty, since his affections already belonged to Sasuke and he couldn't love Gaara back.

Living with Gaara wasn't as awful as Naruto thought it would be. Gaara even learned to cook meat for Naruto. But no matter how much Gaara showered Naruto with his affection and attention, Naruto felt sharp pang whenever he thought of Sasuke. Even if he was treated as a bed slave, instead of prince of the Eastern Region and betrothed of future leader of the Southern Region, Naruto wanted to be with Sasuke. Even though outwardly he was smiling, he felt himself slowly breaking inside the longer he stayed away from the one he had fallen in love with.

There was a knock on the door, causing Naruto and Gaara to look up. The door opened, and Kakashi entered. Naruto hopefully looked around him—perhaps Sasuke was here?—but there was no sign of Kakashi's charge. Kakashi kneeled down and whispered something to Gaara. Naruto noticed Gaara stiffening. Gaara suddenly stood up.

"Naruto, stay here. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked. Gaara shook his head.

"I'll be right back."

Naruto watched Gaara splinting away with Kakashi. He lowered his eyes to the scrolls haphazardly scattered around the room's floor, then slowly stood up. He quickly glanced at his surroundings, then slid the window of Gaara's room open and climbed through the window. Luckily Gaara's room was on the first floor, right next to the garden, so Naruto's feet didn't make any noise when he landed on the soft earth beneath the window. Naruto kept to the shadows of the building, his eyes taking in his surroundings while his nose searched for Sasuke's scent.

After few minutes of stealthy walking, Naruto came upon the edge of the forest that contained Kakashi's cottage. Sasuke's faint scent also became stronger. Encouraged, Naruto broke into a run, following the sweet and distant scent of his lover, until—

Thud!

"Whoa," Sasuke breathed as his arms became full of orange and gold. Big blue eyes that he had dreamed about everyday lifted up to meet his eyes, then the eyes filled with laughter as familiar loud voice cheerfully said,

"Sasuke! Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!"

"Na…" Sasuke's voice cracked. He buried his head in Naruto's neck, tightly hugging Naruto to himself.

"Naruto…"

"Sasuke, that hurts! Sasuke, let go! Sasukeeee!"

"Shut up, you dimwit," Sasuke said. He slung his hands under Naruto's arms, then lifted him up into the air and swung him around few times before embracing him again. Naruto was laughing, his laughter sounding like chime of silver bells in Sasuke's ears, and Sasuke placed his cheek against Naruto's cheek, trembling in ecstasy.

"Sasuke! I missed you!" Naruto said, flinging his arms around Sasuke's back and laughing breathlessly. "You know, Sasuke, I… Nnnn."

Sasuke crushed his lips against Naruto's, wrapping his arms around the smaller body of his lover. Naruto closed his eyes and accepted the kiss, relaxing in Sasuke's arms and slowly opening his lips, inviting Sasuke inside. Sasuke gladly obliged. Tongue plunged inside Naruto's mouth and wrapped itself around its partner aggressively. Naruto tentatively tasted Sasuke, following the tongue back inside Sasuke's mouth before he pulled away. They were both heavily breathing, their faces flushed. With the back of his hand, Sasuke wiped saliva away from Naruto's mouth, then pulled him into his arms again.

"You've grown thinner," Sasuke quietly said, fingering Naruto's cheek. Naruto had lost lots of baby fat in his cheeks, but it was nothing in comparison to Sasuke's own emancipated figure. Naruto kissed Sasuke's chin in reply.

"Because they kept giving me raw meat."

Sasuke chuckled, but the smile was wiped out of his face as his eyes focused on something. "Naruto, on your neck…?"

"Eh? Ah! This?" Naruto asked, placing his hand against the mosquito bite. "It's nothing; it's only a mosquito bite. It doesn't itch anymore, though."

Naruto yelped as Sasuke bit his neck, his hand sliding underneath his shirt.

"Sa, Sasuke?! We can't! Gaara and Kakashi-san will come back soon, you know! We'll get into trouble!"

"He said he won't touch you," Sasuke growled. Naruto looked at Sasuke, confused. Sasuke nibbled on Naruto's throat before he lightly licked the junction between his collarbones. "How dare he leave this mark on you?! And since when did you call that demon by his name? Naruto, you're mine!"

"Sasuke, Gaara didn't… Aa…!"

Naruto bit back a moan as Sasuke lightly sucked the tender flesh beneath his ear. Sasuke pulled away. His eyes held something akin to maniac fury and lust. He hissed, "I'll properly remark my territory, then."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Sasuke softly asked. Naruto nodded, not trusting his voice yet. Sasuke kissed Naruto's neck again. "Kakashi taught me that I was supposed to stretch you out before we joined our body. It didn't hurt, did it?"

Naruto shook his head again, then craned his neck to look at Sasuke. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Just so you know… I only let _you_ do this to me. The feeling of this water thing inside me is really gross, you know…"

Sasuke nuzzled against Naruto's cheek, affectionately licking at the scar mark he found there. "You'll always be my one and only, so you can't let others do this to you. You can only spread your legs open for me. You can only let me enter your body and make you scream perverted things. You're mine, and mine only…"

"All right, you possessive bastard," Naruto said, weakly laughing. "Only you. I only belong to you. Happy now?"

"…Naruto."

Both Naruto and Sasuke froze in place, their body still joined into one. The voice was ice-cold, full of menace and intent to kill. Naruto lifted his head up.

"Gaara…"

Sasuke's expression stiffened for a different reason, for standing behind Gaara was—

Itachi.

* * *

-To Be Continued -

...You know that you can find the ero version at Shiro's website, right? The ero for this chapter was... scary. Sasuke is slowly turning into a possessive madman! [laughs] As this story slowly but surely becomes bloody and angsty, no matter how much I try to divert going down that road… I must apologize! I'm sorry! I lied! X.x I tried my best to make this story happy and fun, but it seems that this story will become Shiro's typical evil creation.

Latest comic chapters reveal Kishimoto-sensei's true form for once and for all—a closet doujinshi-ka! X3 Since the recent chapters all but scream 'SasuNaru! Pair up Sasuke and Naruto!', I was very happy and I said I don't care if the current arc goes for months and even years, but those in my group seemed mortified with that idea. Well, there isn't much chance of this chapter going on for a long time, anyway. Kakashi's on his way to ruin all the fun, yet again. ;P

_"What the hell are you supposed to be?!" Sasuke asked, uncertainty flashing through his dark eyes as he regarded the child in front of him. _

_His eyes full of tears and determination, Naruto pulled back his lips until his canines protruded, his kyuubi-induced chakra brilliantly flashing around him._

_"I'm your friend!" Naruto cried, with a touch of resentment and longing filled in his tone. Tears continued to fall as the person he respected, trusted, and acknowledged—the person whom he thought of as his comrade, best friend, brother—coldly looked at him, his eyes reflecting nothing but hatred towards him now._

_Do you no longer acknowledge me, Sasuke?_

…the current comic chapters more than make up for the current animation storyline ♡♥♡ But if Sasurin doesn't come to his senses soon and continue to make Naruto-chan cry, Shiro might have an urge to give Naru-chan away to Gaara-kichi. XP


	14. Decision

Itachi brushed stray hair away from Sasuke's face, smoothing out his frowns with his hands. Even though Sasuke was sleeping, he did not look comfortable. Was he having a bad dream?  
"Sasuke," Itachi softly muttered. "Do you remember…? Do you know anything about our family, little one?"

Silence. Of course Sasuke wouldn't reply. Even had he been awake, Sasuke didn't know anything about the Uchiha massacre. Itachi had made sure of that.

"…Our mother was a female wolf demon, Sasuke."

Itachi pulled his hands away from Sasuke and broodingly looked at the sleeping form of his younger brother.

"Because of diplomacy, our mother was forced into marriage with our father, but the marriage was not a happy one. Our father treated our mother more like a female who satiate his desires than his beloved wife, and our mother hated us, the result of such a forced union. Our father hated us, too, for we were half-demons. He would rather have his illegitimate son born of his human concubine be his successor than half-demons like us. …So I killed them. You understand, don't you?"

Sasuke stirred, but continued sleeping.

"You remember how our relatives used to treat us, don't you? Since we lived as humans, we need to stay in the human society. For that we must kill our other self, the demon, and hate the demons. If we're rejected from the human society, we don't have a place to return to. I have killed everyone who knows our secret and even banished Iruka-dono, who doesn't know anything. Yes, even Iruka-dono, who had been like a brother to us ever since mother took in the young dolphin demon out of pity. Since he is a demon, he would eventually figure out that the sharingan is a unique trait of us wolf demons."

Itachi tucked blanket around Sasuke's sleeping form, then placed his forehead against Sasuke's forehead.

"You're the only one I love, little brother. So you can't escape. You can't love that fox demon, because then I'll be left all alone. Please don't leave me…"

* * *

Dai 14 Wa: -Decision- Embracing That Darkness Within Me, I Shed Tears

* * *

"U…chihaaaAAAA!!!" 

Sasuke hurriedly pulled away from Naruto and placed himself between the others and Naruto. Naruto winced at the rough movements and clung to Sasuke's back for support. His legs still felt like jelly. Sasuke zipped up his pants and reached in for scrolls hidden in his left chest, close to his heart. His fingers wrapped around the slender rolls of paper, and spells that would summon the magic hidden within sang in his blood, ready for combat.

He didn't have long to wait.

"I'll _kill_ you, you son of a human female!" Gaara screamed, sand pouring out of gourd slung around his shoulder.

"Naruto, hide!" Sasuke sharply said. His teeth cleanly cut away the strings that bound his scroll closed, and the fragile paper delicately flew up into the air as Sasuke chanted, "Let the wide heavens fill with sounds of beating wings and blinding light, for this right had been given unto me: Thousand Birds!"

The rushing torrent of fine sand grains crashed against brilliant blue light emitted from Sasuke's hands with sounds of thousand birds' flight, creating the most fantastic cacophony. Yet among the broken pieces of sound, Sasuke and Gaara fluidly moved towards each other, like they were moving in water.

"Sasuke! Gaara…" Naruto said, uneasiness taking over him. Of course he didn't want Sasuke to be hurt, but… He didn't want Gaara to get hurt, either.

"I would think you'd have more to worry about than others," cold baritone voice interjected, the words smooth and deadly as dripping toxic. Something flashed brilliantly, catching the rays of sun, and Naruto instinctively ducked. The sharp movement caused him to bite into his lower lips in pain, but his survival instincts were more determined than his physical body. Immediately tall trees behind Naruto started to crash down into the earth, their trunks having been cleanly cut away.

"Itachi… Niichan…"

Itachi stood, his black robe flowing behind him gently like ocean waves, his lowered black eyes merciless and emotionless. His long hair loosely hung around his shoulders, and he was holding a long Japanese sword in his hand, his left fingertips gently resting against the silvery blade of the deadly weapon. "Naruto," he acknowledged.

"Niichan… Why… Why?! You…"

"Disgusting, vile demon," Itachi hissed. "Did you think that you'd be able to lure my brother away from me? Did you hope to seduce my belonging; hoping that my wrath shall not come to you? You, a mere demon cub!"

The sword's tip was pointed towards Naruto. "For your insolence, I shall end your life."

"Sasuke doesn't belong to you!" Naruto snapped back, wrapping his arms around himself to keep himself from trembling. It hurt. He had honestly thought of Itachi as a 'big brother' figure, but Itachi was threatening to take his life away simply because he was a demon. But it wasn't fault that he had been born a demon! "Sasuke came with me by choice… Because we like each other!"

Naruto dropped into the ground and twisted his body around to avoid the next swing of the sword. Feeling tears stinging his eyes, Naruto reached for scrolls hidden in his shirt. "I don't want to fight you…"

Naruto screamed as Itachi's foot connected with his chest and pain shot up to register in his brain. Something cracked, which Naruto could only assume was his rib. Breathing heavily, Naruto tried to duck the next movement of Itachi's knife, but the knife cleanly cut away the fabric of his shirt and scratched the surface of his skin.

"In the… deepest shadows… lurks hidden power of mine… Spell of Multiple Shadow Clones!"

With shaking hands Naruto fumbled with the scroll in his hands, but before he could break the seal, Itachi's sword cut into his legs. Naruto fell to the ground and felt tears rushing to his eyes. Having just been embraced by Sasuke, not only was he tired, but his muscles—especially upper thigh muscles—hurt every time he moved, and pain shot up his spine. Naruto screamed as Itachi stepped on his arm and the sickening sound of something breaking could be heard again. Itachi roughly ground his heel into Naruto's arm, crushing the delicate bone hidden inside into paste.

"Itachi… Niichan…"

Itachi lifted his blade and sharply brought it down, next to Naruto's head. Leaning on the sword, he tightly closed his eyes.

"Why is Sasuke so willing to stay with you? Why does he keep running away from me, while he wishes to belong to a mere demon like you…? Even though he belongs to me…"

"Itachi-sama! Sasuke Obousama! This must stop at once; you can't—" Iruka started, his face paling as he, too, took out scrolls used in combat, ready to give up his life if needed to be to stop the fight. But Kakashi placed his hand on Iruka's arm and stopped him.

"Why are you stopping me?! They'll kill each other!" Iruka cried. Kakashi shook his head.

"If we stop them right now, they won't forgive us."

"But…!"

Kakashi suddenly turned his head towards Iruka, furiously glaring at him. "If you get in the way of Gaara-sama's wishes—even if it is you—I shall not forgive you!"

Iruka flinched at the look and the tone, his eyes widened. Kakashi relented and softened his tone. "We can only watch for now. Besides, you'll get hurt if you interfere."

Their conversation was interrupted by Sasuke sailing through the air, crashing into the tree standing next to them.

"Ku…uuu…."

Sasuke sharply breathed in, feeling something surging up from his throat into his mouth. He coughed it up. Blood dribbled down his chin, and the world blurred for a fraction of a second before massive wave of sand washed over him. Sasuke immediately let his body drop to the ground, narrowly avoiding his head from getting crushed, and rapidly flicked his wrist to let a short knife after knife sail through the air, aiming for his opponent.

One of the knives skimmed across Gaara's cheek, drawing blood. Gaara's eyes lit up with blood-thirst as he unconsciously let more demon-side of him emerge, his nails lengthening into claws and his canines growing sharper and longer. A scroll was drawn from his chest, the seal ripped away and thrown into the air.

"In the underworld where even worm cannot survive, you'll meet your end: Sand Grave!"

Sasuke crouched, then sprang up, neatly sailing into the air above the crushing sand. But Gaara had been waiting. With a sickening cracking sound, Gaara's fist slammed into Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke doubled over, more blood escaping his mouth. With a dull thud, Sasuke landed on the ground, on top of the sand that had knocked over all the trees and cleared a wide path as evidence of their battle.

Gaara immediately wrapped his hands around Sasuke's throat, his claws digging into the delicate skin of his neck, his eyes widened with murderous fury.

"Die," he breathed. "Die, die, die… DIE!!!"

"I don't think you should do that."

Gaara whipped his head around to stare at Itachi. From his hand dangled bloodied Naruto, whose arms hung down in a strange angle and drooped underneath him, as if the limbs didn't belong to him. Itachi pressed the blade of the sword against Naruto's neck. Thin line of blood appeared, slowly letting the vital life fluid run down the edge of the blade. "You wouldn't want him to die, do you?"

"What have you done to my Naruto?!" Gaara screamed, his face paling at the small form helplessly held in Itachi's cruel hand. Itachi smiled.

"Well. What have you done to my Sasuke?"

"He was the one who defiled my mate before our coupling!"

Itachi shook his head. "The vixen had seduced my brother. Sasuke had been as pure as newly fallen snow before the demon taught him the erotic plays. While that does not concern me, this demon stole my brother away from me."

He roughly shook the limp form in his hand, leering, "Were you planning on eating him after you bring him to your territory? Surely, the noble blood of Uchiha was very tempting to the likes of you!"

"Naruto wasn't going to eat him! He kept that thing as his pet; the human is the one who stepped out of his bounds!" Gaara snarled, his claws digging further into Sasuke's neck until his skin, too, broke and allowed blood to flow.

"The demon was Sasuke's bed slave! How dare you call my brother a pet to a lowly demon!" Itachi screamed, his voice rising by few octaves as he became angrier.

"Naruto was his _what_?!"

"I think it's time we negotiate," Kakashi broke in. He held out his hands. "Give Naruto-sama to me, Itachi. Gaara-sama, give Sasuke to Iruka-dono. Then we can talk."

Flash of annoyance crossed Itachi's face, but he tossed Naruto towards Kakashi, and Kakashi neatly caught the small form. Gaara sullenly turned around, his sand flowing towards Iruka to deliver Sasuke to him. Both knew that the longer the confrontation continued, the worse it would become for both sides. After all, they didn't want Sasuke or Naruto to die. Iruka picked the broken body of his young master up, pain filling his face.

"Return Sasuke to me, and I couldn't care less what you do with the fox kitten. You can keep him," Itachi started. Gaara's eyes narrowed in displeasure.

"What about what your brother did to my mate-to-be? The humiliation that Naruto suffered as… as a bed companion?"

"Why don't you throw in another demon into the deal?" Kakashi cheerfully asked. He slung his arm around Iruka's waist, who immediately blushed and pushed him away. "You don't want him around anyway, right? Him being a demon and all."

"What use will that demon be to me? He's more of a human than a demon. Hell, Kakashi, you're more like a demon than that weakling," Gaara grumbled. Kakashi grinned.

"I'll be a better subordinate to you if you grant me a mate."

"What?!" Iruka snapped.

"Very well," Gaara conceded.

"Then we would like a human given back to us as well," Itachi cut in. "Give us Hyuuga Neji in exchange for Umino Iruka."

Gaara stiffened. "I can't give Neji up."

"Would you like me to kill your fox then, raccoon-dog?!" Itachi asked, his eyes starting to glint dangerously again.

Gaara glanced at Naruto. His orange clothing had been stained in various places with blood, the patch widening as Naruto lost more blood. Gaara bit into his lips. "…Very well."

It didn't take long for the contract to be written and signed in blood. Naruto and Sasuke, both unconscious and their bodies broken, didn't participate in the pact that would separate them even further apart from each other.

* * *

"I'm going back to live with the humans?" Neji asked incredulously, almost sarcastically. "But I am more of a demon than a human now. Even when I was a child, I was more of a demon than a human." 

"I am aware of that," Gaara said, brushing back Naruto's hair. Naruto was sleeping, bandages and herbs wrapped around him until he vaguely resembled a mummy. The normal healthy peach hue of the boy's skin had gone ashy white, and Gaara's eyes filled with concern as Naruto mumbled something incomprehensible and a tear slipped from his closed eyes. "I do not wish to lose you, but… Things just turned out that way. Besides, don't you wish to live with your cousins once again? Live as a human again? Surely, the missions I imposed upon you all this time must have been tiring. But back home, you were a high-born, weren't you?"

"I didn't mind the missions you gave me. You… accepted me, despite the fact that I had been born human."

Gaara stood up and faced Neji. Arms tentatively wrapped around Neji's shoulder, and a kiss was planted on his forehead. Neji nuzzled against Gaara's neck.

"And you're welcome back, anytime you wish to return. If you cannot bear the human way of life, come back. Even if Kakashi is angered, I shall return the dolphin demon so that you can stay here."

"My lord, and so it shall be."

Neji took Gaara's hand and placed the knuckle against his lips, a submissive gesture, and left. Despite the fact that it pained him to leave Gaara—Gaara that he more or less grew up with—he also felt a strange flutter when he thought that he'd go back to the human society. In human society, Sasuke was there. He could live with Sasuke.

When Neji reached the horses that would take them to the Western Regions (Itachi had Sasuke on his horse, leaving Iruka's horse to Neji), where the Uchiha estate was located at, he saw with surprise Itachi kneeling over the sleeping form of his brother, murmuring something to him. With the tenderest hands Itachi tucked a warm fabric around Sasuke's body. Neji wordlessly joined them. Itachi glanced at Neji, then in a surprisingly mild tone he said, "You've grown."

"I'm surprised you remember me," Neji bitterly said. "Aside from killing off all my relatives along with yours, I do not know much about you."

The horses broke into a brisk trot. Neji felt it strange to ride on another beast, for the very idea of forcing labor out of another demon was a repulsive one to him. Demons did not view slavery in a favorable light. Itachi's tongue did not become sharp with reprimands, despite Neji's cold words. "Then we shall learn about each other from now on, you and I. I shall educate and strengthen you. You will become of a strength to my dear brother."

"I don't need you to tell me that. I'll protect Sasuke."

At that Itachi turned to look at him, surprised, but Neji kept his eyes on the road. Itachi, too, turned his eyes on the road.

Sasuke stirred, then his eyes opened into narrow slits. He wordlessly glanced at Itachi, then turned his gaze towards Neji. Neji turned his head away. Sasuke's shoulders drooped, and with blank eyes he turned his eyes away to stare into nothing, his whole body growing limp.

"_Mangekyou Sharingan_."

Startled, Sasuke's eyes snapped open again, and Neji, too, looked at Itachi. Itachi was looking ahead of himself, urging his horse to move faster. "We do not need demonic powers, Sasuke. If you destroy the one who is most precious to you, your _sharingan_ will evolve into its ultimate form, _magekyou sharingan_. If you're frustrated that you cannot defeat the raccoon demon, clutch onto your pathetic life desperately and murder he whom you love. Then you will be stronger than anyone else."

Sasuke shivered. Itachi always became angry when he asked about the _sharingan_. He taught him that the _sharingan_ was a forbidden trait; that it was a sin that their blood carried. So why now…?

"You shall be reborn…"

* * *

Gaara peeled away the old bandages and replaced it with new. Most of the old bandages had been soaked through with blood, and he grimaced at the amount of blood that slashes from the Japanese sword drew. Normally demon recovery rate was rapid to the point of being beyond imagination, but Naruto was healing too slowly for his liking. His broken arms still didn't show signs of healing. 

"Would you like to eat something?" Gaara asked. Naruto shook his head. Frustrated, Gaara implored, "But you haven't eaten anything since yesterday! You need to eat in order to heal, Naruto."

Naruto lifted his eyes to look at Gaara. His eyes were filled with woe. He slowly shook his head again. Gaara bit into his lips, then he slowly said, "Shall I give you a new pet?"

Naruto curiously looked at Gaara. Gaara kneeled next to Naruto, his hands on his knees. "On my way to meet Uchiha's brother, I found a survivor of the Leaf Village. I wasn't sure what to do with the human child, but if you want, I'll let you keep him."

"Who…?" Naruto asked, finally opening his lips. Gaara's eyes lit up at Naruto finally showing an interest in something. Gaara stood up and left the room, only to return with a small child, screaming and kicking.

"Let go of me, you demon! What is this! I hate you! I hate all you demons!"

"…Konohamaru!" Naruto said, amazed. Konohamaru stopped yelling at top of his lungs and stared at Naruto, bemused.

"Na, Naruto _no Niichan_?!"

Konohamaru pulled away from Gaara and ran to Naruto, burying his head on Naruto's chest. "Naruto _no Niichan_!"

Naruto tightly held the child in his arms. "Konohamaru…"

"I'm so glad I met you! I was sick and tired of all these demons! Naruto _no Niichan_, let's run away from here!" Konohamaru chirped, excited. Gaara looked more amused than offended, so Naruto gave him a small smile.

"Konohamaru… I'm a demon, too, you know."

Konohamaru shook his head. "No! Naruto _no Niichan_ is different! _Naruto no Niichan _is not like a demon at all!"

Naruto's smile became saddened. He rested his chin on Konohamaru's head to hide the sad smile, lowering his eyes.

"…Maybe you're right."

* * *

Dawn spread its rosy glow to the still slumbering form in its wake, and Neji found himself awakening out of habit. Despite the fact that he no longer had to hunt for his food, he walked outside to stretch his legs. But soft footsteps that approached him told him he was not alone. 

"Sasuke… What are you doing up so early in the morning?" Neji asked. "From what I hear from the servants, you got a marriage coming up soon, too, don't you? You should get plenty of rest."

Neji turned his head to smile at Sasuke, but the smile slid off his lips when he saw Sasuke's expression. Sasuke held something in his arms. His eyes glowed eerily red in the dusky morning air. Aside from the _sharingan_, something else was lighting up his eyes. The touch of insanity crawled up into his pupils, making it dance wildly with flickering light of the blood-colored iris.

"I've been thinking about it all night."

"…?"

Neji felt the hair at the back of his neck stand on an end. Suddenly he felt frightened of Sasuke. No, this wasn't Sasuke. This was… entirely something else.

"I can't do it. I can't kill Naruto. The only reason why I want to become stronger is to be able to protect Naruto, so if Naruto dies, being stronger is meaningless. I don't need the ultimate form of _sharingan_. What I need is more power, another method to evolve."

Sasuke held out the entity in his arms. It was the outer robe he always wore; the dark blue robe with the Uchiha symbol embedded in the back of the silken fabric. Holding it at an arm's length, Sasuke suddenly ripped the clothing so that the Uchiha symbol tore in two. Sasuke dropped the clothing to the floor and ground his foot into it, smirking.

"I'm going to Orochimaru."

* * *

-To Be Continued- 

…Yes. The storyline is becoming more astral as it continues. I am aware of that. …As long as it's fun, it's okay ♡ (It's not okay!) "You son of a human female"… Euphemisms are fun. -laughs- It seems the possessive trait is an Uchiha thing. Psychotic, possessive Uchiha brothers ☆

After fourteen chapters, it has finally been revealed exactly why the hell this story is called the 'Wolf and Fox Tale'! And no…one… asked about it, so I assume that: 1, you guys are all sweet-tempered souls who believe in Shiro and tell yourself, "Oh, he'll tell us eventually why he's babbling about wolf when there is none in this story…" 2, you guys forgot about the title of this story (…) 3, you couldn't care less… (;;;;;;;) Or 4, you already had an explanation ready! "Sasuke is a lone-wolf, right? So it is a symbolic title! Naruto is the cunning fox, while Sasuke is the lonely wolf!" You are a true philosopher! You can provide explanation where there are none! Please submit your vote in your review and Shiro will be happy ♪ (Cut that out.)

According to my outline, if all goes well, Ookami will end at chapter 20 ◇ Thank you so much for reading this story and giving me such wonderful responses; I treasure each and every reviews, e-mails, and group messages! :3 Please bear with me for few more chapters; the pace from now on will move very quickly. Well then, shall we go to the next chapter! …Next week! ;;;;;;;;


	15. Determination

Neji trotted down the hallway of his family manor, a cup of water clutched in his tiny hands. He heard voices and paused, curious at hearing his name being mentioned. His father and his uncle were talking about him…?

"After you've killed that demon, your body has been slowly turning to that of a demon. I'm afraid your child was also affected, since he is acting more like a demon than human right now."

There was a silence, then Neji heard his father's voice. "While I understand that I must die, why must Neji be sent away to the demons?! Please, honorable brother, kill him with me! I'd rather have him die than live among demons, being mistreated because he had been a human before he turned into a demon! A half-demon does not belong anywhere!"

Hinata's father coldly said, "It is for diplomatic purposes. The demons are angry that you have slain that black leopard demon. We must make up for their losses by giving them a black leopard kitten, else they will attack us."

"My Neji is not a demon! Please, honorable brother, you must kill him…!"

Neji turned away and continued to walk. Reaching his room, he closed the door and set the water on his bedside table. He closed his eyes.

"I guess that means I can't play with Sasuke-chan anymore…"

* * *

Dai 15 Wa: -Grab it! Clutch it! Don't Let it Go!- I Will Get You Back, No Matter What!

* * *

Naruto slumped over the bed in a deep sleep. His mouth was open slightly, one of his hands fisted around the blanket while the other one was hanging over the side of the bed. Gaara sat by the bed next to Naruto's side. He was gazing at Naruto's face with something akin to curiosity written on his features. He reached out a hand, then playfully batted at Naruto's hand. Naruto frowned and pulled his hand away. He scratched the nape of his neck, then relaxed in slumber again. Gaara gave an impatient nudge at Naruto's cheek with his nose. Naruto softly growled.

"Naruto, wake up. The sun is already high up in the sky. Naruto?"

Naruto made a sound that vaguely sounded like 'go away'. Gaara placed his hands on the bed and kneeled over Naruto. He proceeded to lick Naruto clean.

"Uuuu. Leave me alone, Mom…"

Naruto struggled much like a kitten during his cleaning, twisting his body this way and that. Gaara persistently buried his face in Naruto's neck, nipping and licking at the skin there. Naruto mewled, displeased, and cracked open his eyes. Sapphire-colored eyes met emerald-colored eyes, and Naruto immediately squeaked and pushed Gaara away.

"What are you _doing_?"

"Giving you your morning wash," Gaara indignantly said from the floor. "What is with you and overreacting like that?"

Naruto immediately blushed and lowered his head. When Sasuke 'washed' him, it always led to something… else. But because he couldn't tell that to Gaara, he shook his head instead. "It, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Gaara gave Naruto a curious look, but he dropped the subject. He climbed on the bed again and started to pull Naruto's clothes away.

"…What are you doing?" Naruto finally asked when Gaara started to lift up his under shirt. Gaara lightly tapped on the bandages wrapped around Naruto's chest.

"Checking on how your injuries are healing. Why, is there something wrong?"

It was then that Naruto realized that Sasuke had pushed his mind somewhere in the gutter, because everything Gaara did somehow reminded Naruto of when Sasuke was doing embarrassing things to him. Naruto sighed. "No, sorry…"

The door slammed open, causing both of the boys to turn and look at the boy standing at the entrance. "What are you doing to Naruto to Niichan!" Konohamaru, who had returned from his morning toiletries, bellowed. "You… You perverted, nasty demon! Let go of Naruto no Niichan!"

With a war cry, Konohamaru lunged at Gaara. Gaara stared at Konohamaru, bemused. He reached out his hand and kept Konohamaru at an arm's distance, while Konohamaru swung his fists around, attempting to hit him. Gaara turned his puzzled face to Naruto. "What's his problem?"

Naruto nervously laughed and dragged Konohamaru to himself by his collar, then buried Konohamaru's face on his shirt. Konohamaru violently protested, but whatever he was shouting was muffled. Naruto had a feeling Konohamaru was saying something really inappropriate that children shouldn't know about. "Oh, you know how kittens are. You can never understand them."

"Naruto no Niichan, can't… breath…" Konohamaru squeaked. Naruto abruptly let go of him, and Konohamaru fell to the bed on his face. He lifted himself up and gave a dirty look to Naruto, who sheepishly smiled back.

"Nee, Niichan, will you go somewhere with me today?" Konohamaru asked. "I've been waiting all morning for you to wake up, you know. Why are you sleeping so much?"

"I need to sleep so all my broken bones will get healed," Naruto said. He messed up Konohamaru's hair by toughly patting it. "But I'm sorry I kept you waiting. Where do you want to go?"

Konohamaru hesitated, then he lowered his eyes. "I want to go and bury my grandpa."

"Absolutely not."

Naruto and Konohamaru looked at Gaara, surprised. Gaara shook his head. "It is no place for a cub. Your sentiments are admirable, but the scene of massacre is still filled with blood and rotting corpses. I can go and bury the corpse for you if you give me something that belonged to your grandfather."

Konohamaru flinched. "…That's okay. I was at the scene of the massacre. I… saw everything, so it doesn't really matter."

"But we can still go with you, right?" Naruto softly asked. "Gaara… You'll come with us?"

"Yes," Gaara shortly replied. "Unless the human has any objections?"

"I'm not 'the human'! I'm Konohamaru, you stupid demon!" Konohamaru snapped.

"My name is Gaara, not 'stupid demon'," Gaara countered. Konohamaru stuck his tongue out.

"You're a stupid demon."

The three started out for the site where the Leaf village used to exist. Naruto cringed as his senses were once against overwhelmed by scent of blood and ashes, but now the putrid odor of something rotting made him feel even sicker at the gut. This didn't affect a human like Konohamaru as much, but he, also, trembled as his eyes took in mutilated, decomposing human body parts. Only Gaara remained expressionless.

"Do you think you can sort out the grandfather's scent?" Gaara asked Naruto, who was slowly turning green. Naruto shook his head. "Then go to the entrance of the forest and rest a little. You're looking awful. Konohamaru, do you have anything that your grandfather owned?"

Konohamaru's eyes widened at the usage of his name. He slowly nodded and took out a piece of cloth. "…Here, Gaara… Onii…san."

Naruto, reassured that the two would not attack each other at his absence, turned and headed for the forest.

"Naruto-sama!"

Naruto craned his head to look at Neji running towards him. Something was wrong with the way he was running. His ankle was either twisted or broken, from the way he was dragging his steps. As Neji approached closer, Naruto observed bruises on his cheek and bloodstained cloth tied around his arm. He felt uneasiness settling in his gut.

"Neji… What is it? What happened?!" Naruto asked, his voice unconsciously growing sharp. Neji was breathing laboriously. 'His ribs are broken,' Naruto realized.

"Naruto-sama… Sasuke has… Sasuke has gone to Orochimaru! You can stop him—You must stop him!"

"…"

Naruto felt something getting ripped out of his heart. Orochimaru? But… That's the person who… destroyed his village… killed everyone who was important to Naruto… Sasuke knew that as well. Sasuke went to join whom…?

"But Sasuke… Why… Why?!" Naruto hoarsely whispered. His head was slowly going blank. Why, Sasuke? Why…?

"Sasuke believes that doing so would make him strong enough to defeat Gaara, to protect you. Naruto-sama, you must hurry and…"

"That's f---king bullshit! Protecting me my ass! Sasu… He can't… Sasuke…" Naruto tightly closed his eyes. Sasuke had betrayed him. Sasuke chose power over him. That was wrong… That was wrong! Naruto opened his eyes. The blue eyes were filled with rage. "I can't forgive that! I'm going to bring him back home, even if I have to break every bone in his eyes to do so!"

Neji looked relieved. "I suggest you go to one of the legendary three demons for help. I know you're strong, Naruto-sama, but you're still a young cub. I would offer you my help, but I would not be of a help against the likes of Orochimaru, who is one of the legendary three demons."

"Legendary… three… demons? What's that?" Naruto asked.

"The three demons who were formerly humans. The demons who managed to kill more than a thousand demons as a human and managed to become a demon themselves. Their powers are legendary." Neji bowed. "They normally do not associate themselves with us lower demons' business, but you are the son of honorable nine-tailed fox. I'm sure they'll lend you a hand. I think Jiraiya-sama will be most likely to help you."

"Where do I find them?"

Neji pointed. "At the central, Naruto-sama. Now you must make haste. Please bring back Sasuke no matter what!"

"Got you. I'll drag that idiot home. Please say sorry to Gaara for me!" Naruto pulled a fish cake from his pouch and pressed it against his forehead, muttering the spell to transform himself. Turning back into his true form—nine-tailed fox kitten—Naruto dashed away in such a speed that he looked like a flying golden blur.

Neji bit into his lower lip. "I couldn't do it, so please save Sasuke for me, Naruto-sama…"

* * *

Sasuke walked through a dark forest, where not even a single ray of sunlight was able to filtrate the thick leaves of overgrown foliages. His blood-colored _sharingan_ flashed in the darkness as Sasuke briskly walked. Human eyes were useless in lightless forest like this. His shoes made lots of noise because of thick layer of leaves under his feet, but Sasuke paid it no mind.

Sasuke suddenly stopped walking. He smoothly reached for the swords clasped to either side of his waist, drawing them away from the scabbard and flicking them up into the air, then letting them spin across his hand before his hands clutched at the base of the sword. His eyes narrowed as his mouth was drawn into a thin line.

Shadows moved towards him at an amazing speed, but Sasuke's _sharingan_ read every movement. His movements were fluid, not even one step wasted as if he was rehearsing well-known steps of a dance. He lowered his body to avoid short knives thrown at him. His left arm shot up into the air while his other arm smoothly drew an arc around his body. Immediately blood splattered across his face as mutilated corpses fell around him. He let his body fall to the ground as his swords danced in the air, then he flipped his body at the last minute by kicking up with his leg to give himself a momentum. The swords cut across the assassins approaching him cleanly. More warm blood drenched Sasuke's body, but he paid it no mind. He wiped blood splattered across his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Aren't _you_ going to join your friends?" he snarled. There was a rustle of leaves above Sasuke's head, followed by a gentle chuckle.

"An Uchiha is amazing, after all. Forgive me for my rudeness. Orochimaru-sama wanted to see if you're worthy, that is all."

Sasuke darkly chuckled. "Well? Do I pass the test, then?"

A young man jumped down from the trees and landed in front of Sasuke. Sasuke swung his swords around and slipped them back on their cases, then lifted his blood-colored eyes to glare at the man. Kabuto gave him a low bow.

"Sasuke-sama. Welcome to hell."

* * *

Naruto dodged a person rapidly running pasted him and nearly collided into another person. "You idiot! Watch where you're going!" The person yelled at him, shaking his fist, before he hurried along.

"Central is really busy, after all," Naruto muttered to himself. He was increasingly growing tired of the busy city. He wanted to get out of here and find Sasuke as soon as possible. "Where is that Jiraiya guy, anyway? Everyone is hurrying so much that I can't ask anyone…"

Naruto sighed, dejected. He walked across the bridge and drooped his small form over the railing, watching the river beneath the bridge. He lifted his head up when a man approached him. The man ignored Naruto and placed a binocular in front of his eyes, pushing his thick white hair out of his way. He started to snicker to himself, a perverted grin spreading across his face.

Naruto followed the man's gaze and saw some girls at distance playing at the edge of the river, all of them wearing swimming suits. He gave the man a disgusted look. 'Pervert…'

But since the man was the only one who stayed still for more than three seconds, Naruto cleared his throat. The man pulled binoculars away from his eyes and made an irritated noise. "I'm not interested in children, and especially not boys. Shoo."

"Grandpa, do you know this guy named Jiraiya?" Naruto asked. "I have to ask him something, but I can't find him."

The man stared at him for such a long time that Naruto started to feel uneasy. Just when Naruto decided to run like hell, the man turned his attention back to the girls. "I'll tell you where he is if you ask for phone number and address of one of those girls there."

"Geh. You're such a pervert!" Naruto said, making a face. But because the man was the first person who didn't rush past him, much less talk to him, Naruto grumpily said, "It's a promise, right, Grandpa?"

The man nodded. Grumbling, Naruto jumped down from the bridge and approached the girls.

"Er, excuse me?" Naruto meekly said. The girls stopped laughing and playing and stared at him. "I'm really sorry about this, but can I have someone's phone number and address? …Please?"

The girls suddenly burst into laughter and surrounded Naruto. Naruto felt threatened. One of the girls reached out and pinched Naruto's cheek. …That hurt.

"Aw, he's so cute! Sorry, little one, but please ask that when you grow a little older!"

"What a little pervert!" Another girl said, laughing. A girl next to her patted Naruto's head.

"Why don't you just come home with Oneechan, little one? I'll take good care of you."

Naruto felt like crying. Why were these girls so… intimidating?!

"Eh. Sorry for bothering you!" Naruto shouted before he ran as fast as his legs carried him. When Naruto reached the perverted man, he was laughing to the point of having tears on his eyes. Naruto suddenly felt very, very homicidal.

"What is it, what is it! There's nothing funny! You stupid, mean old man! I'm going to ask someone else!" Naruto cried, pointing at the man.

"Don't be stupid. You did ask them, so I'll tell you where Jiraiya is," the man said, finally managing to stop laughing. He straightened himself and widely grinned. "What can I do for you, son of nine-tailed fox?"

"There's nothing you can do. Tell me where Jiraiya is," Naruto said, frowning. The man's grin only widened.

"I am he. I am Jiraiya, the legendary toad demon. Now what do you want, brat?"

"…"

Naruto felt his brain failing on him again before it finally cooperated and decided to work for him.

"…WHAAAT?!!!"

* * *

-To Be Continued-

…It is the triumph of SasuNaru Love Love. ♡ (Those in the message board will know what I mean. I kept my promise, everyone! –laughs-) Since I saw the 4th Naruto opening that featured Sasuke using _nitoryuu_ (double sword technique), I always wanted to write or draw something with Sasuke using two swords! _Katana_ (Japanese swords) are so cool! X3 Unfortunately the only knife Shiro handles with ease is the kitchen knife (…), but someday I want to learn sword techniques, too! ☆

Mm, what happened to (my) Sasuke was kind of shocking, but that's okay. I kind of like this Sasurin, too, now that I had some time to calm down from my initial shock. Evil is sexy. Don't worry, Sasurin, Oniichan will be your fan, no matter what! (He doesn't need a fan like you… ;;;;;;)

By the way, I posted some four-column Naruto fan comic on my website, so please check them out when you're bored. :3


	16. Strength

His lungs felt like they were on fire. His heart felt like it would explode. His legs felt like they had turned into lead. But he continued to run as if possessed, his eyes wide and wild with fear. As he approached closer and closer to his den, his heart grew heavier and heavier with dread. Scent of blood. Lots of blood. And silence…

_'Are you okay?'_

_A young man with hair color of the sun and eyes color of the ocean had asked him, tenderly brushing back the spiky strands of his own scarlet hair. Even though his blood-colored eyes met the young man's eyes, he continued to smile. _

_'Are you aware that I'm the nine-tailed fox demon, you fool?' he had grumpily asked the human, cringing when moving caused pain to shot up his body. The man just lightly laughed._

_'Yes, I have followed you from the village to finish you off. But you're hurt, and I don't think you're the demon that had hurt our villagers. You're actually very kind, aren't you? Your eyes are so gentle. I think the villagers have made a mistake in attacking you.'_

_'F-ck you,' he had snapped. But he couldn't quite control the blush that crept up his cheeks at the young man's pretty smile._

"Yaa," a handsome young man said, a smirk crossing his face when he noticed him darting into his den. The man's dark tresses fell into his blood-colored eyes, the same color of blood as the blood that stained the sword he held in his hand. His eyes immediately followed the path of the blood to the prone figure sprawled out on the floor, blood still pouring out of fresh wounds all over his body. The pretty blue eyes were already lifeless. "It seems you were a bit too late to save your mate, _Kyuubi no Youko_."

_'I'm with your child, you know.'_

_'…' His mate brightly laughed at the expression on his face, but he immediately wrapped his hands around the man's cheeks, his red eyes narrowed in concern. 'But you're a male human. Are you certain that you want to bear the kit of a demon?'_

_'If I wasn't certain, I wouldn't have become a demon and agreed to become your mate in the first place,' he replied, still smiling. 'This is my life, and this is the choice I made, so it's okay. I'm sure our baby will be beautiful, so don't make that weird face. Try to look more happy about becoming a father, won't you?'_

"Uchiha…" He felt his breath hitch in his throat when he saw his mate's corpse, nearly torn from limb to limb. The young member of the Uchiha clan calmly stepped back, readjusting the grip on his sword. Soft mewls made both of them temporarily freeze. A soft, plump baby fox was struggling to crawl out from underside of his mother's corpse, pathetically mewling because his mother hurt him with his weight. His golden fur was soaked with blood, but his wide blue eyes remained innocently curious as he looked up at his father.

_'After the Uchiha clan had two half-demon children born to them, the head of the family suddenly became anxious to get rid of all demons,' his mate told him. Their kit seemed to have grown tired of playing with the chicken bone, because he tossed it aside and crawled into his arms. He picked it up and nuzzled the soft flesh of its cheek, and the child happily wagged its tail. 'A war seems inevitable. Since I think our family will be one of the first to be attacked--considering you are the lord of this region--I think it'll be better for us to change the location of our den. Naruto is too young; we can't protect him in the war.'_

_'And we can't have our kitten getting hurt now, can we?' he asked, affectionately licking the baby's soft cheeks. Naruto happily mewled._

"Naruto!" He screamed when the killer of his mate raised his sword to end his life's son. He lunged and managed to lift Naruto by the collar of his neck. He dashed away into the forest, running away from the killer of his mate, because he had to save Naruto, no matter what. He felt hot liquid running down his cheeks.

"…them," he hoarsely muttered to himself. "I'm going to kill them all. I'm going to kill all the humans, starting from that Uchiha…!"

Naruto weakly mewled, frightened at the insanity in his father's eyes, but the _Kyuubi_ had already lost his mind.

* * *

Dai 16 Wa: -Strength- The Precious Thing That Must be Protected at All Costs

* * *

Naruto nibbled at the side dishes while Jiraiya emptied a cup of _sake (alcoholic drink)_, then poured himself another cup. The weather had turned cold towards the evening, so Naruto was glad for the _oden (fish cake) _soup's warmth. The food cart didn't really keep out the chilly evening air, and Naruto hadn't bothered with a coat when he heard that Sasuke had left for Orochimaru and had immediately departed in search of him. Seeing Naruto shiver, Jiraiya wordlessly wrapped his own coat around Naruto's shoulders. It was too big, so it was more like a blanket than a coat, but nevertheless Naruto was grateful.

"So what do you want from me?" Jiraiya asked, watching Naruto from the corner of his eyes. "I will tell you this right now. I am not too fond of demons, despite being a demon myself. It'd better be an interesting favor, else I'm going to yell at you for wasting my time."

Naruto hesitated before he put his chopstick down and started to speak. "…There is this person who's really important to me."

Jiraiya didn't show much reaction to that.

"He's a human. He went to Orochimaru to become a demon. I have to get him back, no matter what. I can't let him go to Orochimaru."

"…" Jiraiya snorted and drained another cup of alcohol. "And what would be that fool's name?"

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto quickly supplied. Jiraiya, fortunately, seemed interested, so Naruto was just getting his hopes up when Jiraiya suddenly frowned at the mention of the name.

"Absolutely not. I cannot help you with that."

Hopeful light was immediately extinguished from Naruto's eyes. "Why… not…?"

Jiraiya turned his head. Barely controlled anger was filling up his dark eyes. "Uzumaki Naruto. Do you know who was the human who started the war that cost your parents? Do you know who it was that was responsible for your parents' death? The very reason why you had to live among the humans, be hated as a demon child, lonely as an orphan?!"

Naruto cringed at the harsh tone in the man's voice. Confused, he slowly shook his head. What did that have anything to do with what they were discussing right now…?

"Uchiha! The Uchiha is your enemy! What you must be doing is to avenge for your parents' death by killing that Uchiha Sasuke, not attempting to help him, you foolish cub!"

"…? I… don't understand…" Naruto stammered. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the bowl of soup placed in front of him, dragging his eyes away from Jiraiya's angry face to stare at his hands. "Sasuke… didn't… Sasuke said he has feelings for me… Sasuke said that I could kill him if he betrays me… So he would never…"

"It's not 'Sasuke' who had killed your parents, you fool. It was an 'Uchiha'. I would assume that it was his father or some other relation that have killed your parents. Nevertheless, the name 'Uchiha' must be associated with the word 'enemy' in your mind, not 'someone who is important."

"…"

"And you say that he went to Orochimaru? Then he had already betrayed you, for Orochimaru is the enemy of all demons. He is already displaying the characteristics of his foul lineage, is he not?"

"It… it's not like that…" Naruto lifted up his head, his expression firm and unfaltering. "Sasuke is just making a mistake. Because I was taken away from him, he forgot what was really important. Because Sasuke is weak like that… Sasuke is always trying to be an adult, so he only thinks about the surface. But Sasuke's heart is kinder than anyone else! No, it's because of his kind heart that Sasuke is suffering so much. If only he would face the darkness he can fight against it, but since he always thinks that he's 'right', he just gets more and more wounded…"

His heart suddenly picked up in speed and it felt painful, so Naruto tightly held his hands over his heart. "I'm his light, so I must offer him my hand. I have to save him. I don't understand him, but he promised to be my 'place to return to', so I'll continue to live right now, in this era. Something like 'the past' and 'history' doesn't matter, because the current 'story' is my life and I can write it with my own hands."

"Story, huh…" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, resting his head on his hands, his fingers laced together. Deep black eyes bore into pure blue eyes. Then suddenly Jiraiya smirked and turned his head away. "You're just like your mother."

"My… mother?" Naruto softly asked. Jiraiya nodded.

"You have pure and steadfast heart of your mother, and pride and strength of your father. I hate 'Uchiha', but because this 'Sasuke' is someone that you regard so highly, I'll make an exception and help you out."

"Ah…" The child's face brightened, then his happy laughter rang through the chilled evening air. "Really, really?! You're going to help me?!"

Jiraiya's smirk widened. "That's right, brat. But before you can offer to help someone else, you must become strong yourself. I'm going to teach you a spell called 'rasengan'. If you can't master it successfully, I won't let you go. Someone who can't even handle that level of spell can't possibly fight against Orochimaru and hope to live."

"Ra..sengan," Naruto repeated. "How long will it take for me to learn it?"

Jiraiya carelessly shrugged. "You are supposedly of an elite blood—the nine-tailed fox—so let's hope you can master it within a week."

"A week is too long!" Naruto protested, paling. "Sasuke…!"

"Can't be saved if you're weak. You must become stronger than anyone else if you really wish to become someone else's 'light'. You said you wanted to write your history with your own hands, didn't you?" Jiraiya chugged down another cup of alcohol before giving a crooked grin to Naruto. Naruto bit down on his lower lip so that his canine slightly showed.

"…Yes. I'll… definitely save Sasuke with my own powers."

* * *

"Haaa…aaa… AAAAA!!!"

A young boy writhed in agony. His fingers desperately clutched at a black mark etched onto his otherwise flawless, creamy skin of his shoulder. His dark eyes widened as flood of pain rushed through his body from the cursed seal carved into his body. His delicate pink lips had long been tattered to shred from constantly biting down on it to stifle his cries, blood caked-teeth digging onto the soft flesh again and again until it was ripped apart. Ebony-colored hair was flung into his eyes as he twitched violently, his entire body trembling in effort.

_'I want to be with Sasuke.'_

"Guuu…" The boy doubled in pain as blood spurted out from his mouth, dribbling down his smooth chin as he shook his head from side to side. Black seal suddenly changed form as it expanded, growing larger and larger as it smoothly spread over Sasuke's shoulder to his slender neck and backside. He heavily panted.

_'If I'm alone, I get really lonely…'_

"Uuuu… Aaaaa!!! Aaa…" With pain, Sasuke felt power surging through his veins, singing of forbidden strength that his cells absorbed. The floor felt cold and hard against his skin, but in the darkness he felt himself getting stronger and stronger. With this much strength, he could protect Naruto. He could always be with him. He doesn't have to make him lonely. His eyes glowed before flickering into his sharingan, blood pouring into his pupils to make the very color of his eyes crimson. His nails lengthened to resemble claws, and soon the sharp claws dug into his skin and tore it part, letting blood flow over the black cursed seals that had spread over his entire body by now. His dark black wolf ears twitched—when have they grown? —and he felt his newly grown wolf tail swishing back and forth impatiently.

_A small, out-stretched hand. Cocky, but warm smile. Eyes like the sky, smile like the wind, warmth like the sun. 'I'll save you.'_

Sasuke heavily breathed, shivering violently. He felt his canines dig into his battered lips, and allowed a smirk to tug the corner of his lips. "Naruto…"

"How does that look, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked. His head rested against Orochimaru's knee, who was sitting upon a dais of sort. Orochimaru's long black hair fell against Kabuto's white hair as he lowered his head to chuckle. There was no joy in his laughter—only endless malice, mingled with satisfaction.

"Oh, it's lovely… It's absolutely lovely. Dear little Sasuke, I daresay, will be the most successful experimental subject by far. I simply cannot believe what difference being a half-demon makes; I think it's possible to bring out all hundred percent of his demon potentials, while enhancing all of his already awakened human potentials. My, this is so very satisfying…"

Kabuto smiled, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "You sound pleased, my lord."

Orochimaru greedily watched the flickering screen in front of him, making pleased noises at every one of Sasuke's pained groans and screams. He clasped his hands together. "But of course. How refreshing it is to see the transformation taking place so successfully! When the life of this body runs out, I simply cannot wait to take that boy's body! Such lovely, lovely young lamb, so eager and naïve… Kukuku…"

Kabuto turned his eyes away.

"My heart is glad that my lord is so pleased."

* * *

"Not like that. Try again," Jiraiya said. Naruto twitched, then disregarded him and continued to write. "I told you, it doesn't go like that."

"…How would you know! You're not even looking at me!" Naruto finally exploded, pointing an accusing finger at Jiraiya. Jiraiya paused in scribbling something in his notebook and picked up his binoculars, still not even glancing at Naruto.

"I can tell just by the number of strokes your brush makes against the paper."

"LIAR!"

Naruto grumbled under his breath as he ripped apart the rice paper and picked up a fresh sheet. He poured more water onto ink stone and started to grind the ink, but Jiraiya interrupted him again. "Make sure the ink consistency is just right. The ink, the strokes, the amount of energy involved in summoning the spell from the paper, not one factor can be done without utmost care. You should sit properly when you write; do you have no pride in your penmanship?"

"Look," Naruto grind out. "I have trouble enough _reading_ kanji, let alone writing it. Why can't you just write the scroll for me?! You said it's difficult enough to learn how to control my energy in summoning this… rasengan… thing!"

"Writing of the spell helps you memorize the spiral motion of the spell," Jiiraya said, once again returning to writing something in his notebook. A disturbingly perverted smirk crossed his face, and Naruto involuntarily shuddered. He was currently very thankful of the fact that he had not been born a human female.

"How's this?" Naruto asked, holding up the finished product of his hard labors. Jiraiya finally turned his head to scrutinize Naruto's writings, then pulled something from the bag he had brought with him and tossed it to Naruto. Naruto caught the object reflexively, then stared at it in wonder. "Eh? What's this supposed to be for?"

"You're supposed to pop that," Jiraiya patiently explained. "Release the spell from the scroll you have written. Then, using your energy, control the spell in such a way that you can make that balloon explode."

Naruto frowned at the brightly colored rubber balloon in his hands. "…So when I summon it, I have to summon the spell so that it's inside this balloon."

"Right," Jiraiya agreed. "Not only that, but you have to make it small enough to fit in the balloon before you can make the balloon explode. Control is the key to everything in this spell."

"Eh?! But it's a wind-based spell! Controlling wind is all but impossible!" Naruto said, almost on the brisk of tears at nearly impossible demand of his teacher. Jiraiya ignored Naruto's obvious dismay.

"So make the spell concentrated. Compress it. Make it as small as you possibly can. The smaller you can reduce the perimeter of the spell, the more deadly it would be."

Naruto bit into his lower lip and thoughtfully contemplated the balloon he held in his hands. "…If… If I can master this spell, I really can be of a help to Sasuke, right? I can save him…"

"I'll be helping you as well, so as long as you're strong enough to not get in my way, we'll set out to drag that Sasuke boy back," Jiraiya replied. "But you're only a hindrance to me right now."

"…"

Naruto took in a deep breath, then picked up the scroll from the ground. Holding the scroll with one hand while clutching the small balloon in his other hand, Naruto softly chanted, "Gentle wind that caresses with thy gentle hands, now be ferocious as I will thee to be: _rasengan_!"

The scroll barely evaporated into air before enormous amount of wind suddenly erupted in Naruto's hand. Before Naruto became aware of what just happened, he had been tossed up into the air in a spiraling wind like a rag doll, the mere force of the air enough to knock out his breath and for his eyes to tear. He cried out in surprise and struggled to gain footing into the ground again, but he kept spinning around and around in a miniature hurricane that he had created. When the wind finally died down and Naruto was able to collapse on the ground, Naruto was none too pleased to find Jiraiya laughing so hard that he had to clutch his sides. Naruto pushed up the goggle on his forehead. His voice was trembling with rage when he finally gained the capability to speak again.

"…you did that on purpose, didn't you, you perverted hermit…!!!"

* * *

Every muscle in his body ached. Naruto felt his hands trembling violently, but he harshly bit down on his lip and continued to shrink the wind to smaller and smaller size. He knew he didn't have much energy in his body left. If he continued to abuse his body like this, he would die. He knew that.

He didn't care.

'Just a little more,' he pleaded with the wind, tightly closing his eyes. 'Just a bit more, and I can go to Sasuke. So please, please be smaller. Please revolve faster. Please be stronger…'

Jiraiya wordlessly watched Naruto, even though in all appearances, he seemed to be asleep. For eighteen hours, Naruto had worked on learning the rasengan. Frankly Jiraiya was amazed at the speed in which Naruto was able to master such a difficult spell, but more so at his tenacity. The stars had already disappeared, and already the horizon was starting to brighten with the first rays of sunlight. And yet Naruto tried again and again, uncaring of his body that was slowly breaking apart.

'I promised to Sasuke that I would save him, so please, let my feeling reach him… Let me be strong enough…!'

Naruto felt warmth in his stomach, then gradually he felt the warmth spreading to other parts of his body until he felt his fingertips tingling with warmth. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find light pouring out of his hands. Warm, gentle light that might be strong enough to save his beloved…!

"RASENGAAAN!!!"

The balloon Naruto held in his hands was explosively destroyed, the rubber pieces flying everywhere. But even more so than the explosive power, light engulfed Naruto as wind spiraled around him. The wind didn't hurt at all. It was gentle, warm, and Naruto lifted up his tired eyes to the sky and smiled. He was stronger now, right? Surely this light can reach him.

"…!"

The wind slowly melted away into the air and the light faded back into the early dawn. Naruto collapsed to his knees and kneeled over. He suddenly felt sick. There was a bubbling sensation in his stomach, and Naruto opened his mouth to retch out blood.

"Kuuu….uuu!!!"

Blood freely poured out of his mouth and pooled on the ground before being sucked into the earth. Intense pain ripped across his stomach, and Naruto threw up more blood, clutching his stomach. He felt rough hand patting his back soothingly. His stomach churned, and he felt burning sensation in his stomach. He hastily pulled up his shirt to see large spiral marking upon his stomach.

"…?"

"The energy spiraled inside your body before reaching the balloon in your hands."

Naruto faintly heard Jiraiya's voice. He tried to stay awake, but he kept feeling his consciousness sinking. He wanted to sleep so much…

"As you get better at controlling the energy, it won't hurt this much. But if you use this spell too often, your body will be destroyed."

He felt his eyes closing. Everything looked misty.

"…But even if you're destroyed, there is that precious thing that you must protect no matter what, right, brat?"

Of course.

And Naruto lost his consciousness.

* * *

-To Be Continued-

…The story that becomes more and more astral as it continues. OTL And minor among minor among minors… probably… Kyuubi x Yondaime. (What's that all about?!) It, it was necessary for the storyline! ;; And Orochimaru's feminine style of speech is an utter and complete horror. ;;;;;;; Many of the characters in this chapter were very unfamiliar to me, so it was very difficult to write this chapter! Fueeee. X.x

This week's Naruto chapter was wonderful beyond all limits of human speech. …Kishimoto-sensei, I love you so much! ;--; (Cut that out.) It was simply breath taking in its beauty! Uwaaaan, Sasurin, you look so beautiful bleeding in the rain ♥♥♥

May all evil, sadistic professors who are in my way of happiness catch some awful cold and be unable to come to school next week, so I don't have to take all those tests and hand in all those essays ♡ (Oi… ;;;;;;;)


	17. Hostage

"…What are you doing?"

The tiny cub looked up at him with tearful eyes, its small body trembling in an effort to stifle his cries. Somehow the scene brought hateful memories to Kakashi's mind, so he roughly repeated, "What do you think you're doing?"

"A, after _aniue_ and _aneue_ got their mate… They left… And I'm all by myself; there is no one to play with me…" The little raccoon-dog wiped his tears away, but more quickly filled his eyes as their replacement. "I don't like being alone… Yashamaru said I'll always be alone… I'm scared to think that!"

_"You'll always be alone."_

"Even though my siblings were born of a human mother and I am the only pure-blooded demon that can take my father's place, I don't want that if that means I have to be all alone! I don't feel like I belong here."

_"You don't belong here, Kakashi. Even though you are a human, you act more like a demon. You'll never find a place for yourself here."_

Kakashi sighed and picked Gaara up, letting the child cling to him. When he had been crying like this as an abandoned child, Gaara's mother had pitied him and accepted him into the demons' society. And now that Gaara's mother had died in giving birth to Gaara, he felt as if it was his responsibility to comfort this child.

"You won't be alone, Gaara. Your father is talking with the nine-tailed fox demon right now. It seems they have a baby just about your age, so if all goes well, you'll get a mate of your very own."

Gaara lifted his head up from Kakashi's shoulder. He still had tears in his eyes, but his expression was a lot brighter. "…Really? My mate would always be by my side, right? He'll be a friend who'll never betray me?"

Kakashi smiled and ruffled up Gaara's hair. "That's right. Your mate will be your most precious friend who will never betray you, no matter what. So by his side will be the place where you belong."

Gaara slowly nodded, then he tightly hugged Kakashi.

"…I can't wait until I get to meet my mate!"

* * *

Dai 17 Wa: -Hostage- Because I Wanted to Meet You

* * *

Gaara was currently in the middle of mutilating a piece of cloth. Every twitch of his digits made little rips on the cloth, but his gaze was not fixated upon the object in his hands. Rather, he was staring at the wall ahead of him, his eyes unfocused as if he was looking at something beyond the wall. His brows were furrowed in concentration as his hands continued to rip the cloth apart. Then the cloth suddenly gave away and cleanly ripped into two, and Gaara's hands flew apart at the sudden loss of substance joining them. Startled, Gaara's wide green eyes stared at the ripped pieces of cloth in his hands. Originally the pieces of clothing were to serve as bandages for Naruto's wounds, but since they had become useless, Gaara had been idly ripping them apart.

"…Just what are you doing?"

Gaara's expression didn't change. He merely turned his eyes until the view of his sister came into view. He remained silent, but Temari stepped closer and set the tray of food beside him on the bed before gently prying the pieces of cloth out of his hands. Gaara flinched at the contact with another human's skin. Temari lightly sighed and straightened herself.

"This is pathetic. How long are you going to mope?" When Gaara made no indication that he had heard her, much less paying attention to her, Temari kneeled down until her eyes were leveled with Gaara's. "You're a boy, aren't you? If there is something you want, then go get it. Or are you waiting for someone else to get it for you? You're not a baby anymore."

"…He said." Gaara's voice sounded strangely hoarse. "Naruto… said 'sorry'. So… I can't. He would be angry if I stopped him. I don't want him to be angry…"

Temari watched the child struggle for words, his childish face further crumpling at the strain to express himself. He really was horrible at communicating. She knew his heart, so even without it being expressed, she realized the affection he held for her as his sibling. But she had anxiously watched from far distance when Gaara had struggled to make Naruto understand his feelings. She could only imagine how he felt right now, when Naruto left without even knowing what he felt. She gently cupped his cheeks with her hands, then she stretched his cheeks out until he scowled and tried to pull away.

"Idiot."

"Wha…!"

"He's not your sister, nor is he your brother." Temari released his cheeks. Gaara frowned more deeply and rubbed at the reddened flesh with his hands, but looked at her when she placed her hands on his knees, kneeling in front of him. "He won't know if you don't say anything, because he doesn't understand you the way I can understand you. He didn't say 'don't come', now, did he?"

"But…"

"Go to him. That's what your heart is telling you to do, isn't it?" Temari smirked when Gaara's face reddened. "It's dangerous to go to Orochimaru's territory, so go with Tsunade-hime. She owe our father a favor for paying that gambling debt last time, so I'm sure she'll help you."

When Gaara obediently nodded, Temari stood up. "You're going to eat now, aren't you?"

Gaara turned his eyes to look at the tray of food. Since Naruto had left, he had not the will to eat, but…

Clasping his hands together, he softly chanted, "Thank you for the food."

* * *

"Hurry, hurry!" Naruto cried, running ahead. He paused and impatiently gestured to the man following him. "Perverted hermiiiiit! Just how long are you going to take?!"

"Give me a break. I'm an old man," Jiraiya muttered. "That's why I don't like brats; so full of useless energy…"

"Don't be like that! Come on!"

Jiraiya watched Naruto smile widely and run again. Despite being a demon, Naruto was somehow not yet tainted. His smile was pure and carefree without hidden malice behind it. Sometimes a shadow overclouded his eyes as evidence of harsh childhood he had among discriminatory humans, but since he was such an honest child, Jiraiya couldn't help but warmly smile after him like a parent watching over his child.

"Are you that happy to see him again?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto abruptly stopped running and turned back to look at him, evidently surprised with the question. "Even though his father killed your mother? Even though he had betrayed you? Yet you'd still want him by your side?"

"Even if no one else believes in him, I have to believe in Sasuke. Because I really like him! When I was really lonely, Sasuke was the one who stretched out his hands towards me and said 'you can return to me'. So now I have to make sure Sasuke can return to me." Naruto's eyes narrowed in a rueful smile. "That's what I decided."

Jiraiya looked contemplative. "He himself said you may kill him if he had betrayed you, didn't he? If Orochimaru had already accepted him, it will be more merciful to kill him then to let him live. Besides, it'll be easier to kill him then to attempt to bring him back from Orochimaru's territory."

Naruto widely shook his head. "Sasuke didn't betray me. He's just making a mistake. And… if you're dead, the story is over, so I think it'll be really sad…"

"…"

"It's more for my sake than for Sasuke's sake. If Sasuke's not by my side, I become lonely, so I want him back. Anyway, I promised him that I'd save him, even though back then I meant it figuratively. Eh…" Naruto stopped walking and looked up at Jiraiya, surprised, when the man rumpled up his hair before walking ahead of him.

"…Well. Do your best in saving your beloved. Perhaps unlike me, your feelings would reach the person who is important to you…"

"What?"

"Never mind." Jiraiya turned his head to look back at Naruto. "Didn't you say you wanted me to hurry? What are we going to do if you just stand there like an idiot?"

"Ah, wait!" Naruto hurried to follow Jiraiya. His foot connected with something unnaturally soft—as if there was a hole underneath the layers of decomposing leaves and earth—and Naruto instinctively stepped back.

"…!!!"

It was as if all the spirits of the forest had come to life. Short knives whizzed past him as he frantically dodged. The earth was too soft, and his feet kept missing their grip on the soil, threatening to make him slip. His hands kept missing the scrolls hidden inside his shirt. Naruto's eyes widened as fire-tipped arrows accompanied the array of knives. An arrow slid against his skin as he barely managed to dodge it. Heated iron immediately singed his hand, making Naruto cringe.

"Naruto, take cover!" Jiraiya's sharp voice commanded him. But in a fascinated horror, Naruto's limbs refused to move as he wished. His brain was jumbled up with strategies, yet no communication with his muscles could be made. He blindly moved, instinctively dodging the weapons, while his mind still attempted to make a sense of the current situation.

The earth underneath him gave away and shot up into the air, wrapping itself around him in a protective cover. Naruto felt Jiraiya's hand upon his shoulder, and a gentle voice asking, "Are you all right? Naruto?"

"Ah…" Naruto blinked. "That surprised me…"

"Get surprised one more time and you'll see your maker," Jiraiya muttered, his annoyance obvious. He sharply looked up as a fresh shower of arrows rained down upon them, threatening to penetrate the protective earth surrounding them. "You're fine on your own, right?"

Naruto took a deep breath, then smiled. "Of course."

The shield of dirt gave away at the same time that Naruto took Jiraiya's offered hand and stood up. Dark blur sped towards Naruto and he dodged the slice of the object's sword before kicking off from the neighboring tree, wrapping his hand around one of its branches to swing himself in the air before letting his feet connect with the robed figure's shoulder. The person—for the robed being had an approximate proportion to be a human—did not so much as flinch as the knife he was holding grazed against Naruto's cheek, drawing blood. Naruto impatiently wiped the blood away with the back of his hand, bringing his other hand to his mouth to rip off the seal that bound the scroll he was holding closed.

"Gentle wind… that caresses with thy gentle hands…" Naruto quickly whispered under his breath, dodging yet another attack of his assailant. "Be as damaging as I will thee to be: Rasengan!"

Naruto felt power surging through his hand and quickly pressed his hand against the stomach of the attacker, concentrating to compress the energy to be as small as possible. He felt the flesh underneath his skin freely give away, almost like cutting through tofu with a knife, and blood spurted from the hole he made in the stomach, spraying everything in their proximity.

"Kaa….aaa….!!!"

With almost animal-like scream, the attacker pushed Naruto against the tree, pinning Naruto underneath him and forcing his hands to be immobile. His blood kept soaking through Naruto's cloth, and Naruto felt the unpleasant wetness of warm human blood. He tried to squirm away, but the person held fast, causing his robe to fall away from his face in the process.

"Ah… Kabuto… Niichan?!" Naruto hoarsely said, his tone nearer screaming than speaking. His eyes nearly became dots with shock, his voice trembling with an effort to continue speaking. "Kabuto Niichan of the Hidden Leaf Village… Right?! Why… Why are you here?!"

Kabuto's lips curled up into a cruel smirk. "Hn… I was in that village only to serve as a spy for Orochimaru-sama. Orochimaru-sama felt threatened by the village leader, so we decided to annihilate the entire village—But more than the village leader, the one that we really wanted to kill at that time was you… Uzumaki Naruto!!!"

"What… are you saying?" Suddenly it became difficult to breath. "It was my fault that… The Hidden Leaf was…?"

"Aa, that's right," Kabuto snarled. "The Hidden Leaf was destroyed because you were there. The reason why we were so eager to gain Sasuke was because you were his lover. Your parents died to protect you. It's all your fault. Everything is your fault. You are the bad one!!!"

"You're… wrong… I…" Naruto shook his head, frantically trying to deny the accusing man glaring at him with his dark eyes. "You said I could call you 'brother'… You were so nice to me… The village was our home, and you betrayed… But I…"

"Naruto!"

Kabuto and Naruto turned their heads to look at a monstrously large toad, surrounded by torn apart bodies of Kabuto's lackeys. Before Naruto had the chance to understand the situation, he felt Kabuto's sharp nails digging into his neck. The longest nail—the nail connected to his middle finger—punctured through his skin and blood started to spill out, running down Kabuto's hand before dripping to the floor. "It has been quite a long time, Jiraiya-sama," Kabuto grinded out, the corner of his mouth twitching in unconcealed hatred. "I hope I find you in good health?"

"Let go of Naruto!" Jiraiya thundered. He brought his paw to the ground, and the ground shook with the shock at the slam. Naruto was awed at the power of being able to create earthquake by merely stepping on the earth, but Kabuto seemed unimpressed.

"You are going to let me drug you," Kabuto softly, almost serenely, said. "And you are going to let me bring Naruto-sama to Orochimaru-sama. One wrong movement and I'll slice off Naruto-sama's head. You should be aware that this is not an empty threat."

"…!!!"

"Give me your hand, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya trembled in humiliation, but he silently turned back into his human form and thrust his arm at Kabuto. Kabuto pulled a needle out of his sleeve and quickly punctured Jiraiya's vein, making sure the tip dipped in concentrated seductive medication infused into his blood. Keeping his nails against Naruto's neck, he wrapped his arm around Naruto's waist and started to walk away, wary eyeing Jiraiya until Jiraiya's eyes lost their focus and he slowly collapsed to the ground. Then Kabuto smirked, turning to Naruto who had tears of fury clinging to his eyelashes.

"Naruto-sama," Kabuto hissed. "I would like you to meet someone."

* * *

Sasuke cringed with each movement. All of his muscles ached when he gave even the slightest stress to them. His newly acquired demonic powers still had to be matured, leaving him currently vulnerable and weakened. He heavily leaned against Kimimaro—Orochimaru had assigned him to him as something like a nurse and a caretaker during his vulnerable period—as he descended the stairway into the dungeon.

"Why does Orochimaru want me to come down here?" Sasuke softly asked. Speaking loudly hurt his vocal chords. Practically every cell of his body was smarting from the recent transformation he was forced to go through.

Kimimaro frowned upon the familiar usage of his master's name, but he didn't comment on it. "There is someone that he wants you to meet, it seems."

"Someone that… I should meet…?"

"We're here." Kimimaro opened the lock to a door and stepped aside. Despite the lack of lighting, Sasuke's sensitive eyes immediately focused on the figure slumped on the floor, the delicate hands crudely chained above his hands so that blood continuously dripped down from his wrist. At the sound of the door opening, he weakly raised his head to see the ones who had entered the cell. His dull blue eyes focused on Sasuke's shock-filled black eyes, his blood-caked lips slightly opening in surprise.

"Ah…"

"Naru…to…?"

"Sasuke…"

"Naruto!!!"

Sasuke pushed away from Kimimaro and stumbled into the damp, cold cell, wrapping his arms around Naruto. "Naruto… Damn it all, just what are you…"

"…wanted…"

"Hm?"

"I wanted to meet you, so… Because I thought I had to bring you back… Sasuke…"

Sasuke gingerly held Naruto in fear that he'll hurt him further by hugging him too tightly as Naruto weakly tried to continue speaking. Naruto laughed, but there was no vivid color of life behind his laughter. It sounded more like a dull echo of his true laughter. "Why, Sasuke… Why does everything have to betray me… It hurts so much that it becomes difficult to live…"

Sasuke flinched at the tone of Naruto's voice. Naruto pressed his cheek against the warmth of Sasuke's chest. "You said you'd stay by my side… So why did you leave? That's not fair, Sasuke…"

"Naruto…"

"Kabuto Niichan hit me. That hurt… I didn't want to fight with him. I didn't want to fight with Itachi Niichan, either. But everyone I like always ends up hating me, so I really can't live anymore if you betray me, Sasuke… I don't want to fight you… I don't want this anymore, so please come back….?"

"Untie him! Untie him right now! He needs medical treatment!" Sasuke said, his voice quickly cracking with each syllable. Kimimaro shook his head.

"…It was an explicit wish of Orochimaru-sama that you only visit him, Sasuke-sama. If you need anything else, you'll have to talk to Orochimaru-sama."

Sasuke gave an impatient snarl before he pulled his shirt off and ripped it to shreds, using the strips of cloth to tie up Naruto's wound. Naruto quietly watched him, his eyes half-shut. When Sasuke had finished, he wrapped his arms around Naruto again, burying his face into Naruto's neck.

"I'll come back to you."

"Sasu…"

"I became really strong, Naruto! I can protect you now! So… So we can always stay together…"

'We can stay together even if you're weak,' Naruto wanted to say. But because Sasuke looked so hopeful and excited, Naruto gave him a meek smile instead and nodded. He accepted the gentle kiss Sasuke gave his lips, and then Sasuke stood up.

"I'll be right back, Naruto. I'll come back no matter what, so wait, okay?"

Finally Naruto was able to smile sincerely again. Without words, he nodded.

* * *

Orochimaru sighed. "How disappointing, Sasuke. You may enter at anytime you wish, but please do know that it is a lot more difficult in getting out of my clutches."

"Even if I must kill you, I'm going to leave," Sasuke said, his eyes lowered. "I promised him. Besides, the only reason why I wanted this strength was to be with him. Now there is no more reason for me to stay here."

"Ah, but that's unfair, Sasuke. You got something out of our exchange. How about me? In exchange for your powers, what would you compensate me with?" Orochimaru asked, his golden-colored eyes glinting dangerously. Sasuke gave him a disgusted look.

"…Didn't you have enough fun with me as your lab rat? I think letting you mutilate my body in any way you please to satisfy your curiosity would be more than enough compensation."

Orochimaru gave a high-pitched laughter at that, even though there was no humor behind his laughter. "Ah, darling Sasuke. You are so difficult. Without Kabuto by my side, I admit that current you might be difficult to kill, provided you get serious. But I think we may come to an agreement without any need for violence."

Sasuke suspiciously looked at Orochimaru as he turned away and turned on the giant monitor that was used to watch over the dungeons. "See if that fox kit is worth all this trouble! Wolves are known to be faithful to one partner for the rest of his life, but foxes are not so, Sasuke-dear. Look for yourself how the one you chose as your life mate is quite willing to let others touch him!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as the monitor's image gradually sharpened. Naruto was no longer in the dungeon by himself; the wall had been broken through.

And Gaara was deeply kissing him.

* * *

-To Be Continued-

Aaaaaah. I wanted to write something for Naruto's birthday, but I worked on a fan comic instead. Even though the fan comic itself had nothing to do with Naruto's birthday, I still wanted to finish it in time for Naruto's birthday. You can see the comic at my website; it's a short and mild SasuNaru doujinshi. Even though I couldn't make time to write a congratulatory fan fiction in time, happy birthday, Naruto. Always be cheerful and full of life by being faithful to your kind nature!

The new Naruto opening was absolutely lovely ♡ So… much… SasuNaru hints…!!! I like the music very much, too. But the ending was slightly traumatizing. The floating heads were a bit… overwhelming. ;;;;;;;; Given the context of this Naruto season, I did think that Sasuke and Naruto might come out a lot in the opening theme, but somehow recent Naruto atmosphere is like… Yes, it's like… A shounen-ai anime in disguise of a shounen anime ♡ (You're _wrong.)_

Aside from the exciting new season of Naruto, many great anime are coming out in October and November, so I'm really excited! Bleach and Yakitate!! Japan both came out! There is shounen-ai anime coming out in November that is based on a game illustrated by Kaori Yuki-sensei, too! The voice actors of these animations are quite something, too-- from Icchan (who did Gaara) to double Seki to Hoshi-san to even Koyapin! (Not that I really like Oki-san, but I can't help but recognize him…) …Now if only I had the time to watch anything… ;--;


	18. Promise

"Why do I have to follow a brat like you all the way out here?" Tsunade grumbled. Gaara stopped walking.

"…The debt that you owe the Southern region right now amounts to nearly…"

"Now, now, Tsunade-sama! You've promised to help, so let's help with all of our heart!" Shizune cut in, laughing nervously. Tsunade and Gaara exchanged hateful look before they turned their heads away and started to walk again. As they walked further and further away from the central, the foliage continuously grew more sense. For Gaara who was used to the rich forests, trees were a welcoming sight, but the northern region's forest had something strange about it. It took Gaara a while to figure out the difference. The southern forest was void of life.

"I don't like it here." Gaara finally growled. Even the trees were dead. All the leaves had fallen off, despite the fact that autumn had barely begun, and the leaves underneath their foot were already soft and damp with decay. The only things that seemed to flourish here were mushrooms and brightly colored lichens.

"No kidding," Tsunade agreed, involuntarily shivering. "This forest… It's filled with killing aura. Unless you're dying to get killed, it'd be best for you to get the hell out of here while you can. After all, this is Orochimaru's territory. The animals made a wise decision to avoid this area."

"There's not even a single bird chirping," Shizune said, her voice unconsciously shushed. As the three walked, their conversation gradually ceased. The atmosphere of the forest did not really encourage the exchange of words, and the deadly lack of noise started to heavy burden their psyche. The darkness and the sheer silence of the vast woodland made the travelers unnaturally tense, and talking only increased their uneasiness. Noise didn't belong in this place. Living things weren't supposed to be here.

"Someone is here."

Sudden noise was like a slap on the face. Gaara and Shizune whipped their heads to look at Tsunade, startled. Tsunade had stopped moving, all of her senses intent upon finding the location of the other living being. Gaara and Shizune also trained their ears in an attempt to find the person, but it was Gaara's sense of smell that led him to abruptly turn and run towards the direction of the stranger. Ignoring Tsunade and Shizune running after him, Gaara quickly came upon a dirty white bundle. Upon a closer inspection Gaara realized the dirty white fur covering the fallen creature was actually his hair, so he flipped the man over by grabbing the hair.

"This guy was with Naruto only a short while ago," Gaara informed Tsunade and Shizune, who had caught up with him. "He might be with Orochimaru. Should I kill him?"

"That's pure-blooded demon for you! His sense are really keen, aren't they, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune chirped. But Tsunade made no reply. Instead she sank to her knees, taking hold of the man's hand.

"He's someone you know?" Gaara asked, poking at Jiraiya's side with his toe. Tsunade nodded and felt for his pulse.

"It has been nearly a hundred years since the last time I saw him, and the first sight I'm greeted with of my old companion is of him in such a pathetic state…" Tsunade closed her eyes and counted the pulse, then sighed and released Jiraiya's wrist. "Jiraiya, you really are a fool… Shizune, give me the antidote for poison that paralyzes nervous system. Someone drugged the poor idiot."

"Ah, yes ma'am!" Shizune said, immediately reaching for the parcel she had been carrying. Upon Shizune handing her the desired medication, Tsunade dipped a needle into the liquid and pushed the needle into Jiraiya's vein. Almost immediately Jiraiya's eyes opened. He dully stared at the sky before light slowly returned to his eyes and he was able to sit up, even though he could only do so somewhat shakily.

"…That damned brat of Orochimaru…" He muttered, shaking his head to chase away the remaining effect of the drug. He looked up when Gaara started to speak.

"Do you know where Naruto is? His scent disappears right here."

"That kid must've used something to erase the scent," Jiraiya grumbled. He stood up and dusted himself off. "No matter, I'm sure he'd be at Orochimaru's place. I'll take you there. If I remember correctly, you are Naruto's fiancé? Very good, we'll…"

Jiraya's voice trailed off when he noticed Tsunade. Grinning, he lifted his hand up, cheerfully greeting her with "Hey, Princess Tsunade!"

"Hn," Tsunade said, turning her head away. "Both you and I are getting too old for this. Stop making me worried, will you? If you've agreed to help the brat, you shouldn't be sprawled like a garbage in a place like this."

"Oh, were you worried about me?" Jiraiya asked, his grin widening. Tsunade scowled in response.

"No. You are ruining the reputation of the three legendary demons is all. You just irritate me."

Jiraiya burst into hearty laughter. "It isn't like we have a good reputation to start with, anyway. Well, let's hurry and get Naruto and the human back. The sooner we get the hell away from Orochimaru, the better."

As soon as Jiraiya turned his head away, his smile disappeared. With sharp glint in his eyes, he started to walk towards Orochimaru's manor that he had visited only once before—when he had rejected Orochimaru's offer to be his mate. Jiraiya's expression darkened. Even though he had refused Orochimaru's feelings because he had liked Tsunade, Tsunade already had someone in her heart. When that precious person was killed in a battle with demons, Tsunade had lost control over herself and had brutally killed all demons in her vicinity. When the thousandth demon's blood had wet her hands—she had become a demon herself. Jiraiya, because he had failed to protect her happiness, also chose to be a demon so that he might protect her, even if he must stay at a distance. As for Orochimaru, he had also decided to become a demon, but he had chosen to do so for power. The three legendary demons—the humans who had turned into demons by killing a thousand demons—would be reunited again after a hundred years once they reach Orochimaru's place. And then—

"Watch out!"

Jiraiya lifted his head up in time to see a shower of needles—undoubtedly poisoned—flying towards him. He rolled on the floor to avoid them, quickly taking a shelter behind a tree like the others have already done.

"What are you doing, spacing out like that?" Tsunade scolded. Jiraiya sheepishly laughed.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. But this kind of sudden greeting was uncalled for… Kabuto."

Orochimaru's subordinates exploded from the ground all around them, the dust flying everywhere along with deadly weapons aimed towards them. Kabuto himself lunged at Gaara and Shizune. Gaara moved to counterattack, but Shizune stepped in front of him and blocked Kabuto's needles with her own, tossing all of them down to the floor. She tossed her parcel at Gaara, who caught it and stared at it in confusion.

"Go to Naruto-sama first, Gaara-sama! Use the medications in there to help Naruto-sama as soon as possible; you should be able to find Orochimaru's castle if you follow Kabuto's scent!"

Gaara nodded and stepped away from the scene of the battle before he turned back into his true self. Clutching the parcel in his mouth, he broke into a splint.

'Just be safe, Naruto,' he prayed. 'I'll be right there with you, so just stay alive…'

* * *

Dai 18 Wa: -Broken Promise- The Place Where I May Return To

* * *

When Gaara found Naruto, he had been beaten up and crudely tied up in a dungeon. Pain and anger stabbed at his heart. If only he had followed Naruto sooner, perhaps he could've protected Naruto. Kneeling down in front of the prone figure, Gaara uncorked his water bottle and pulled off his shirt before he drenched it with the contents of his bottle. Leaning forward, he worked at wiping the blood away from Naruto's body.

"Cold…" Naruto throatily whispered. His eyes slowly opened. He looked surprised. "Gaara…? Why are you…"

"Shhh. I'll get you out of here," Gaara murmured. He paused in wiping the blood away when Naruto shook his head.

"Sasuke… said he'd come back. So I have to wait for him…"

'Don't be stupid,' Gaara wanted to yell at him. But because Naruto looked so weak, he simply nodded and resumed cleaning him up. Setting the wet shirt aside, Gaara opened the package that Shizune had given him and took out various pills such as antibiotics, the ones that would help recover from blood loss, and others that would help his bones to grow back.

"Here, take these," Gaara softly said, placing the pills in Naruto's mouth. Naruto feebly moved his head. "Don't tell me you don't even have enough strength to swallow a pill? You really can't be helped…"

Gaara stepped closer to Naruto and cupped his cheek in his hands, lifting his face up. He pressed his mouth against Naruto's and worked at forcing the pills down Naruto's throat using his tongue.

"Nnn…"

"You can't breathe? Sorry…" Gaara apologized, breaking away from Naruto's mouth. "Only two more pills to swallow, so bear it a little more, okay?"

Naruto took a deep breath and nodded. Gaara joined their mouths together again. Just when he finished helping Naruto swallow the last pill, the door of the dungeon suddenly flew open, harshly slamming into the stonewall of the cell.

"Sasuke!" Naruto happily said, his eyes lighting up upon seeing the person who had entered.

Gaara looked a lot less enthusiastic to greet Sasuke, but he grudgingly said, "Let's hurry and get out of here. Naruto needs medical treatments, and I don't think pills would be enough. If you can carry him—"

Gaara's head flew to one side as Sasuke's fist connected with his cheek. Gaara immediately tasted copper of blood. At the shock of someone being able to penetrate his sand barrier to be able to physically damage him, Gaara stayed still before he whipped his head around again. His voice had gone dangerously soft. "…Do you wish to die, human?"

When Sasuke lifted his head, his eyes were a bright scarlet. His voice was choked with anger. "You… touching my Naruto… like that…"

"…What?"

"I'll _kill_ you!!!"

"Sasuke, stop that!" Naruto sharply said when Sasuke swung his fist again.

Gaara dodged and growled, "Have you caught rabies?" before he also lunged at Sasuke, sand pouring out of his gourd and filling the cell as he returned to his true self.

"Sasuke… Gaara… Both of you, cut that out! You two are not each other's enemies! Stop being stupid!" Naruto protested, straining against the chains that bound him to no avail.

Gaara's teeth snapped at empty air as Sasuke easily evaded him. Gaara's sand quickly enveloped Sasuke, but even with the sand weighing him down, Sasuke attacked Gaara. While Gaara was preoccupied with avoiding his punches, he brought up his knee and slammed it against Gaara's stomach. Sand rapidly dissipated as Gaara lost concentration and clutched at his stomach. He lifted his head up and glared at Sasuke. Sasuke had a maniacal smile on his lips. Black, swirly marks indicating a human cursed by a demon were rapidly spreading through his skin. Naruto stared at Sasuke in horror.

"Sasuke… No! You can't give in to that! You'll die…!"

Sasuke slowly shook his head. "Half of my blood is demon blood. Having cursed seal and forcefully being turned a demon won't kill me. But…" He softly laughed. "I can become completely insane… It's you two's fault…"

"What are you babbling about?" Gaara sharply asked, all of his furs bristling. Sasuke wordlessly moved forward. Even Gaara's eyes failed to follow him, and Gaara choked when Sasuke's hands pushed him down to the ground. Sasuke clutched at his throat, chocking him. Gaara quickly felt light-headed from the lack of oxygen. Grinding his teeth, he swished his tail to throw sand in Sasuke's eyes.

"…!"

As soon as Sasuke lost his grip on him, Gaara swiped his paw against Sasuke's arm. Even though he dodged, his claws brushed against his arm, easily cutting through the skin and letting blood pour down from his arm. Growling, Sasuke hit Gaara. Gaara immediately flew to the wall and hit it with a sickening crunching of breaking bones. Sasuke slowly walked towards Gaara, who was curled up on the floor, coughing up blood. Bright light danced in his hands, signaling the beginning of chidori that would surely end Gaara's life.

"Sasuke… Sasuke, you're not like this… Stop that! Cut that out before I kick your ass! Don't hurt Gaara--!!!"

Sasuke flinched. Trembling in fury, he slowly turned his head to look at Naruto. There was no affection left in his eyes. The eyes just looked crazed with anger. "…Naruto." Sasuke started to laugh again, his laugher dry and hoarse. "…Is he that important to you…? I don't mean anything to you now? Even though I did everything for your sake…"

"That's a lie!" Naruto violently shook his head. "You did all of that for yourself! Sasuke, I never asked you to protect me… I just wanted you to be by my side! Sasuke, I just want to live with you, fight with you, laugh with you…"

Tears stung his eyes. "That's all I wanted, so why are you doing this?!!! Why won't you trust me… I don't need protection; just being with you is enough for me…!!!"

Naruto cried out as Sasuke clutched his shoulders and slammed him against the wall. He was laughing, but it would've looked better if he had cried instead. The forced laughter made his face strange, almost frighteningly grotesque. "Liar. Liar. You don't need me anymore. I'll die without you, but you're always like that. I always stare at your turned back, but why won't you turn around and look at me?!!! LOOK AT ME!!!"

Naruto struggled as Sasuke forcefully kissed him, his heavy body pressing into his own body. Sasuke didn't even seem concerned about Naruto's wounds anymore; his movements were rough when his hands reached underneath his shirt to touch him.

"Sasuke… Sasuke, I don't want this! Stop it! Sasuke!" Naruto pleaded. Sasuke ignored him. Unzipping his jacket and pulling up his shirt, Sasuke's larger hands tightly held Naruto's tied-up hands as his lips kissed his ears, his teeth lightly digging into the soft skin of ear's shell. "Sasuke, you're going to hurt me! I can't accept you right now… Sasuke, stop that!"

"Shut up," Sasuke snarled. His eyes were still bright scarlet of a sharingan, and now his canines had extended somewhat like fangs, the cursed seal covering nearly half of his body. He didn't even look like Sasuke anymore. He scared Naruto. Naruto felt like crying. "Shut up, Naruto. You'd willingly open your legs for _him_, won't you? I won't let you be taken by anyone else. If I can't have you, I'll break you apart."

"This kind of Sasuke…" Tears finally flowed over his cheeks. "I don't like this kind of Sasuke! My Sasuke is much more kind and gentle than this… I don't want this! You're hurting me! Let go, I hate you!"

"Aa," Sasuke softly said, his eyes narrowing. "Then I'll make you hate me even more."

Naruto weakly clung to Sasuke's body and felt something being cut. He lifted his tear-wet eyes and watched Sasuke wordlessly cutting away the chains around his wrist. Sasuke gathered Naruto's hands in his own and gently kissed the bloodied wrists one at a time, then he released Naruto's hands and stood up.

"Uuuu… Ueee… Sasuke, Sasuke, don't go… Don't go, Sasuke… Please, Sasuke, you can't leave me… You promised, you can't…"

"Fool."

Sasuke finished putting on his clothes and he turned away. "This is the path I chose. Childish games are over, so go home. I'm sick and tired of looking at your stupid face."

"But where is my home?!!!" Naruto screamed. Sasuke kept making him cry. The one he loved so much hurt him so much…! "You said you're my home! If you don't accept me anymore, where am I going to go?! Come back here you bastard!!!"

Sasuke wordlessly looked down at the crying child, then he turned around and staggered away. Naruto couldn't stop crying even when Sasuke had left.

Because he knew Sasuke was crying, too.

* * *

Kabuto knew he was fighting a losing battle. He had managed to knock out the apprentice of Tsunade, but against two legendary demons, it was all he could do to stall for time. But he wouldn't lose to them. Especially not to Jiraiya.

"You really look a lot like someone I knew," Orchimaru had told him, smiling sadly. At that time he was still young, so he was happy that he looked like someone that Orchimaru liked, but he didn't want that anymore. He didn't want to be mere replacement; he wanted Orochimaru to acknowledge him for who he was.

'You only like me for the shadow of Jiraiya you see in me,' Kabuto had thought to himself. 'It's all right even if I'm only a tool to you. But please look at the real me. Don't look at the shadow anymore…!'

Grinding his teeth, he took a shelter among leaves and took a deep breath. Even if he should lose his life here, as long as he could make Orochimaru happy, he would willingly throw his life away…!

Jiraiya looked around the forest cautiously, ready to attack should Kabuto launch any surprise attacks, but he did not expect a huge snake crushing his body, pushing him into the ground. "Ku… You…!"

"Long time no see," Orochimaru snarled as Jiraiya also turned into a toad and pushed him away. Tsunade herself also turned into a slug and tensely stood next to Jiraiya. Orochimaru tilted his head back and heartily laughed.

"Isn't this amusing. The legendary three demons… have reunited after a hundred years, haven't they…! Only to kill each other!!!"

* * *

Sasuke stumbled into Kimimaro's arms. Surprised, Kimimaro helped him to sit in a chair and kneeled in front of him.

"Sasuke-sama, what is the matter? Sasuke-sama?"

Sasuke lifted his face. Kimimaro was surprised to find the child's face wet with tears. "I suddenly realized… that he could live without me. With my tainted hands, I can't protect him anymore. Even if I had to be stained with sin, I wanted to be with him, but he doesn't want this sinful being anymore… He was crying but I couldn't comfort him because if I do that, I would want him all to myself again… I would end up killing him because I want him to only look at me…!"

Kimimaro lightly sighed and started to place healing herbs on Sasuke's wounds. "That would be a given. If you were fond of someone, you would only want his eyes to be upon you. If he's yours, you must have him as yours, even if you must kill him."

The two ceased speaking and looked up as someone stumbled into Sasuke's room. Sasuke's face paled.

"You…!"

Naruto leaned against the doorframe, breathing heavily. He had a crooked smile upon his lips. "…If it's like this, I'm going to bring you home even if I have to break every bone in your body, you jerk. You're mine, so I'm going to take you back, whether you like it or not."

"You moron… I told you to leave me alone… I told you to go away!!!" Sasuke hysterically screamed. "I'm going to kill you!!!"

Naruto nodded. His smile turned sad. "And I'll fight to kill you, too… Even if it's your corpse, I'm going to bring you back. It was a promise, so…"

"Don't make me laugh! Do you seriously think you can kill me?!" Sasuke snapped, standing up from his chair. Kimimaro stepped in front of Sasuke.

"I cannot allow you to lay a hand on Sasuke-sama. He is in no condition to fight right now. You seem to be doing pretty badly, too. Why don't you just go home?"

"Let them fight."

Everyone turned their head to look at the new speaker. Itachi stepped into the light, a smirk playing in his lips.

"I found you, Sasuke."

* * *

-To Be Continued-

Haa. Just a little more, everyone. Thank you so much for reading thus far. Let's go all the way to the end together! Uncut version is available at my website, which can be found at my profile.


	19. Catharsis

"Are you waiting for him again?"

Sakura turned around to look at Ino, surprised, before she smiled and lowered her head. "He'll come back. I just know it."

"No, he won't," Ino gently said. "Sakura… He doesn't belong here. You can't provide the place to return for him. Instead of always staring at his turned back, why won't you look at me? I'll always be here for you…"

Sakura skeptically looked at Ino. "I don't need you."

Ino bitterly smiled. "Sasuke-sama needs you even less."

Sakura's pretty face had an ugly expression on it. "You're just trying to trick me so that you can have Sasuke-sama all by yourself. Why are you keep talking to me? I said I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

"…You blind, ignorant fool," Ino finally said after staring at her. She lightly sighed. "…But I'll still be the place for you to return to, no matter how lost you are…"

But the gentle words fell on deaf ears, for Sakura was too busy thinking of Sasuke's return.

* * *

Dai 19 wa: -Catharsis- With This Voice That Won't Reach You

* * *

Itachi stepped towards Sasuke, but Kimimaro intercepted his path. Itachi looked at Kimimaro, who serenely looked back at him. Itachi lightly sighed and let his head slightly droop.

"…You aren't going to make this easy for me, are you."

"Orochimaru-sama's orders are absolute. You may not hurt Sasuke-sama. I will protect Sasuke-sama with my life." Kimimaro lightly smiled. "If you do not give me a reason to do so, I shall not kill you."

"Your arrogance is irritating," Itachi mused. "But your devotion to your master—That is admirable. I am afraid your master is quite undeserving of a man such as yourself."

Kimimaro bowed. "That is for me to decide, most honorable sir."

At the edge of his vision, he sensed, more than saw, a movement. He quickly whipped his head around, but it was too late--he felt an arm wrapping around his throat, holding him in place.

"You're going to let them fight," Itachi softly hissed. "When my foolish little brother's hands are stained with the blood of the one he loves the most, then he will become truly strong. You may not interfere."

"You are completely out of your mind," Kimimaro said. Itachi's long black hair spilled over his shoulder and mingled with Kimimaro's snowy white hair. Tilting his head back until his cheek barely rested against Itachi's cheek, Kimimaro's eyes narrowed in a smile. "Just like Orochimaru-sama. Crazy bastards, all of you."

Itachi abruptly released his hold on Kimimaro and backed away, but even so, Kimimaro's bone tore through the fabric of his shirt. Itachi's sharingan flashed excitedly. "Ah. You can modify your bone to be your weapon. That is quite interesting."

Kimimaro readjusted his grip on the slender, milk-colored ulna (second, more slender bone of the lower arm; located next to radius). "…I shall show you that I am not merely interesting. I am terrifying."

"Show me," Itachi retorted. "I shall show you in return how a wolf hunts down an insolent heron chicks like you."

Without needing further invitation, Kimimaro lunged forward to attack Itachi. His weapon missed its target, but a chunk of the floor crumbled and the pieces fell through to the room underneath. Despite the display of Kimimaro's prowess, Itachi did not seem fazed. He merely looked amused as he distracted with short knives, thrown one after another, barely brushing against Kimimaro's clothing as his other hand searched in his sleeves. He produced a silken scroll and proceeded to pull away the red thread that served as a seal with his teeth. Each of his movements were calculated and flawlessly performed, and Sasuke watched in awe. Strength radiated off of his elder brother, heavy charisma that barely allowed his opponent to breath, much dare to stand up to against him. Yet it wasn't any excessive masculine quality that made him so deadly—rather, it was his pale skin, his lowered eyes that cast shadow of his long eyelashes upon his smooth cheeks, the slender and tall form that moved so gracefully. It was his almost inhuman beauty that made Itachi so frightening, for when something of such delicacy and beauty kills effortlessly, his elegance was more threatening than brute force.

His opponent himself did not lack on a face and form pleasing to the eyes, but he chose the more direct brute force as he quickly dodged the weapons and moved in to stop Itachi before he could release the spell from within the scroll it was encased in. But he was too late, for Itachi firmly grasped his shoulders and blood-red eyes crashed into bright berry-red eyes. Kimimaro instinctively struggled, but only moments later he felt strength draining out of his body as he felt the warmth of another human body, gentle light that surrounded him, the hazy but pleasant scenery of spring that covered up the reality. In the false world created by the mangekyou sharingan, it was all Kimimaro could do to stop himself from simply sitting down and enjoying his surroundings. Instead, grinding his teeth, he sought for a knife with trembling fingers. Upon finding one, he harshly stabbed his own leg with it.

Piercing pain made the illusion collapse, and Itachi looked surprised as Kimimaro attacked him again, this time managing to give a light cut to Itachi's cheek. Pressing his hand against his cheek, Itachi contemplated Kimimaro before a smile rose to his lips, and he wordlessly broke through the wall and jumped outside. Kimimaro had long-forgotten the reason of his fight, and without a second thought ran after him.

Crack—

Sasuke tasted blood in his mouth. Surprised, his lifted his head to stare at Naruto. His hands were tightly clenched at his sides, his eyes a brilliant blue due to the anger lighting them up, but he was cockily smiling. "Now that those guys are gone, we can have all the fun we want without interruptions, right?"

"Killing you will not be fun," Sasuke said, slowly lifting his hand and resting against his cheek, which had turned red from the hit. He lowered his eyes. He surprisingly looked like Itachi, his features no longer boyish, but a lot sharper and his lines more distinguished. There was also cruelty in his eyes that was not there before. "I had offered you freedom two times already, but you have refused it both times. I had explained to you that staying with me would only cause your own destruction, but you keep returning to me. Is this defiance?"

"No, you idiot," Naruto cheerfully said. "This is called 'love'."

Sasuke's eyes briefly widened, then he smiled. "Love… I see."

Sasuke held out his arms, and Naruto obediently came to him. Wrapping his arms around Naruto's shoulders, Sasuke gently kissed his supple lips. Sweet tenor voice filled his ears, causing Naruto to smile bitterly. "This foolish love of yours, then, will be the cause of your death. I will kill you, come over my weakness, and become stronger than anyone else. Right now that is the only clear path I see."

"And the path I chose was to beat the crud out of you and drag you home, so we'll just have to see which path it will be that we'll be walking down, right?" Naruto quietly asked. "But whatever path it will be, we'll go together. I won't make you alone anymore, Sasuke. Even if my corpse serves merely as a stepping stone for you, I will be with you on your road of life."

Sasuke's smile widened. Naruto's words were only fueling his insanity, his obsession with 'power', but what he really wanted was not 'power'. What he really wanted—

"Let it be so, then."

Sasuke's knee slammed into Naruto's stomach, causing his smaller body to be tossed into the air before he plummeted to the ground. Naruto bit into his lower lip until it bled, but he didn't cry out. He instead picked himself up and ran towards Sasuke, pulling his fist back before swinging it forward and hitting the side of his face before he lowered his body and thrust his leg up to kick his chin. Naruto's feet contacted left side of Sasuke's lower face, even though Sasuke's fist ran into Naruto's nose at the same time and knocked the kick off-balance, making it less effective.

Naruto and Sasuke skidded away from each other. Sasuke did not look impressed as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the trickle of blood that ran down the side of his mouth, frowning slightly. "Get serious, Naruto. Regain your true form and fight me with your life."

"You and I are both humans," Naruto said, shaking his head. "You were born a human, and I was raised a human. We will fight as equal humans."

Naruto cut himself off when Sasuke started to laugh hysterically, tilting his head back and laughing so hard that he sounded like he would choke. "Humans! You, a human?! You, the son of the great nine-tailed demon fox, a human?! Don't make me laugh! You can never become a human, and nor would I ever be a human! We may be humans on the surface, but you know as well as I do that we are both demons!"  
Naruto flinched, but he did not weaver. "I am a human, Sasuke. And so are you."

"No, we're demons, Naruto," Sasuke hissed, his voice sickeningly sweet. "We're superior than humans. We will fight as demons, Naruto."

Naruto's looked startled, and then he started to laugh.

"What's so funny?!"

"You piece of shit," Naruto murmured. "Just what are you thinking? Humans and demons—it doesn't matter. We're all same. Demons might have more stamina, but humans have greater energy control. Demons may be more passionate, but humans are more logical. Demons may be alluringly beautiful, but humans are more truthfully beautiful. It's not like one is good and other is bad. It's more like light and dark—they're opposite to each other, but they complement each other. The answer is not 'choose to be the stronger race'. The answer is in your heart—and I choose to be a human."

Sasuke thrust Naruto up against a wall, his eyes narrowing. His nails extended into claws, digging into his shoulders. Naruto's blue and orange shirt started to darken with the crimson color of his blood, but Naruto remained silent. "I'll make you regret that decision, then," Sasuke snarled. "Fight me as a demon!"

Naruto watched as the whites of Sasuke's eyes turned black, his pupils growing into even more intense red. His canines quickly extended, his ears turning into those of a wolf's. "Fight me!" Sasuke snarled again. His voice had deepened, and his grip tightened, his claws digging deeper into Naruto's flesh.

"…"

Naruto closed his eyes. Whisker marks upon his cheeks became more pronounced as his canines, too, extended, his nails turning into claws, his ears turning into those of a fox's. Golden ear tinted at the tip with scarlet was drooping down, as was Naruto's nine tails. "…Why do you want this, Sasuke…?"

"If you don't fight at full power, it's meaningless to kill you!" Sasuke hoarsely said. There was a cracking sound as Sasuke's claws pierced through Naruto's flesh and started to break the shoulder bones. Naruto lifted his leg and kicked Sasuke's stomach, effortlessly sending him flying through the air. He pressed his hand against his shoulder. His eyes were bright red like Sasuke's, but there was no glee there. Only sadness filled his eyes. His demon body already worked at healing his body, but more than physical pain, Sasuke's insanity and greed for power made dull ache in Naruto's heart intensify.

_Why won't my voice reach you?_

Sasuke picked himself up and ran towards Naruto. His speed was unbelievable, but Naruto was able to see every one of his movements. He merely sent Sasuke flying through the air again. Energy radiated off of his body, pure demon blood in his veins giving him enough energy to easily kill of the impertinent half-demon that attacked him. But he didn't want to kill Sasuke, much less fight him.

_Why is it that everyone that I like end up hating me, Sasuke?_

Sasuke growled impatiently. Ugly black markings started to spread throughout his skin. Sasuke's hair, the silken black that was tinted with blue, the soft hair that he ran his fingers through when they had sex—his hair was growing coarser, wilder, before it was suddenly bleached white. The cursed seal completely covered his body before being dissipated into his skin, turning his skin a light shade of blue, as if his skin had frozen. His eyelashes grew longer, thicker, his lips becoming a brilliant blood red like ripe cherries. His wolf-ears extended, his ears and tail also becoming snowy white like his hair. There was no longer trace of lonely child who was over-shadowed by his older brother. Basking in his new status as an alpha male, Sasuke flexed his digits, eagerly examining himself, testing out his new body.

Throughout his change Naruto silently watched him. At some point tears spilled over his cheeks. Sasuke was no longer here. Instead some kind of monster had replaced him, a beast that was consumed with the desire for power, and the shy, stubborn boy he had accepted as his 'place to return to' disappeared.

_You were special, Sasuke. If you betray me, I may not be able to believe in anyone anymore. Then… I would rather die then to live in a world in which you no longer exist, Sasuke._

Brilliant light started to glow from Sasuke's hands. The room echoed with a sound of something fluttering and chirping—like birds. Thousands of birds. The blue light grew bigger and bigger, crackling like thunderbolts contained within palms of his hands.

Naruto gathered his hands together. There was no longer need for a scroll. His mind was able to shape the spell by itself, awaken the hidden power sleeping within him, and Naruto felt power surging through his body as swirls of energy gathered into a small, tight ball in his hands. The ball of energy glowed bright golden light as it grew stronger and stronger, swirling faster and faster, and Naruto felt warmth spreading throughout his body again, as if he had emerged himself in a tub full of warm water.

_This is the end, Sasuke._

Naruto felt his tears spilling down faster as Sasuke approached him. As Sasuke thrust his hands towards him, Naruto held out his own hands, each aiming for the others' heart to instantly kill him. A splash of blood drenched everything in its vicinity.

* * *

White feather flew everywhere. Blood stained the fluffy, pure white feathers, dripping wet crimson making the pretty feathers have a grotesque appearance. In the center of the small torrent of feathers, Itachi stood, his arms around Kimimaro. Itachi's black robe did not show that it was stained with blood, but Kimimaro's white blood was drenched with red, his torn and wracked wings hanging crooked from his shoulders. With trembling fingers, Kimimaro sought out Itachi's cheeks. His red eyes were rapidly losing its luster, his breathes coming in shorter and shorter strained gasps.

"…was useful, right?" He weakly asked. "Orochimaru-sama… I was… useful? I was… helpful to… you…"

"Aa," Itachi murmured. He brought the cooling body closer to his own body's living warmth, his lips sweetly kissing the dying heron half-demon in his arms. "You were very useful. If we had met in different circumstances, I might have grown to love you… Sleep now."

Kimimaro warmly smiled. He snuggled further into Itachi's arms. He shuddered, then his arms dropped to his sides lifelessly.

"Good-bye."

* * *

Suddenly he found it difficult to breath, so he desperately swallowed air, but it did not ease the pain in his chest. His legs lost their sensation, and he was vaguely aware that he was kneeling on the floor. Warm blood that stained his cheeks were not his own. Trembling hands sought out for something, but not knowing what that something was, they faltered midway and limply fell to his sides instead.

His beloved was kneeling on the floor besides him, all the flesh of his stomach ripped out. Through the hole that had been cut through it, he could see shredded ends of organs that have been messily cut away, blood dripping everywhere. He was smiling, his eyes narrowed in mirth and his canines protruding from his lips that were curled into a cynical grin.

"Na…ruto…"

"Idiot." Naruto's voice could barely be heard, but Sasuke somehow heard everything clearly, as if Naruto was shouting. All the other sound seemed to drown in soft whispers that Naruto was managing to emit. "You can't kill me…"

"Naruto…?"

"So I did it for you. I couldn't use the rasengan to hurt you. I learned it so that it could help you, you know…"

Naruto shuddered, then smiled even wider. "What are you going to do now… Sasuke? I'll die if you leave me like this. The only way you can save me is… go and defeat Orochimaru… and then coming back to me."

_What was I thinking?_

"It'll suck if I die, right? The story will end if I die, and I won't like that. At the end I'm the only place you can return to, so you can't let me die."

_What the _hell_ was I doing?_

"I'll believe you until the end, so come back to me, okay?"

Naruto blinked as something fell into his eyes. He lifted his eyes up—even that took an effort, as he felt his dying body quickly cooling and stiffening—and his eyes met Sasuke's dark eyes, filled with tears. Sasuke was silently crying, desperately clutching Naruto's body as if he could stop Naruto from dying by hugging him tightly enough. Naruto weakly smiled. "Hey, don't cry. I'll stay alive until you come back."

It wasn't that he was hypnotized. He knew what he was doing well enough. It would have been so much more convenient to blame everything on Orochimaru, that it wasn't his conscious decision, that he was insane and it wasn't his fault, but Sasuke knew that that would be a lie. He wanted to become strong. He had to become strong. Because he had something precious in his hands for the first time in his life, he became over zealous in protecting it and had caused its destruction instead. But what he really wanted was—

"I'll…really…come back this time, so… So please stay alive."

Naruto nodded.

"I… want to live with you."

Naruto's smile grew wider, even though it looked painful for him to smile. He nodded again.

"Let's… let's walk down the same road. Live under the same sky. Write the story of our life together, entwined as one fate."

"…Is that your final choice, Sasuke?"

Orochimaru's cold voice rang in his ears, but Sasuke ignored him and kissed Naruto's forehead. His skin felt cold against his lips. Sasuke pulled off his robe and wrapped it around Naruto's body, then carefully tucked him away on the corner of the room. Sasuke wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"I'll kill you."

"Do you honestly think you can?!" Orochimaru angrily asked, his golden-colored eyes narrowing in hatred. Sasuke weakly smiled.

"No, but I'm going to die trying."

Orochimaru's form immediately melted to turn into that of a huge snake, his tail impatiently swiping Sasuke away. Sasuke crashed against the wall and felt his ribs cracking, at the same time blood filled his mouth. One of his teeth felt wobbly. It'll probably get knocked out if he gets hit one more time. He picked himself up and approached Orochimaru again, only to get slammed into the floor. He turned his head to the side and started to cough up blood. Even demons' amazing healing capabilities had limits.

Orochimaru raised himself to his full height, his eyes narrowed in amusement. His tongue flickered before it changed into a sword. The snake plunged towards the ground, straight for Sasuke's exposed chest to kill him.

Sasuke felt blood drenching his face again, and this time, too, it was not his own. Startled, he squinted through the blood to see his brother. The sword had cleanly cut through Itachi's chest, and blood spurted out, completely soaking Sasuke in a pool of blood.

"A…niue?"

"It was a lie."

"…Huh?"

"About sharingan. It's not that you have to kill the one who is most precious to you to get the perfect form of sharingan, Sasuke. It's when you have someone you have to protect no matter what—when you are willing to throw your life away for that person—you become the strongest. You were that precious someone for me, Sasuke."

Itachi paused to throw up blood, then turned his head to smile at Sasuke.

"I was so hoping that I would become that precious person for you, Sasuke… I was hoping that you'd kill that fox demon and return to me. But as long as you're happy…"

Itachi rested his hands against the sword that pierced through his chest and was connected to Orochimaru's mouth. Sudden burst of fire wrapped the blade. Orochimaru made choking noises and tried to pull away, but the fire had already entered his insides, burning him from inside. Itachi turned around, turning into a brilliant ball of fire, and Sasuke numbly watched as his brother and Orochimaru lit up together, furiously burning up. Then he spat blood out of his mouth and crawled over to Naruto. Black dots were dancing in front of his eyes. His temperature was rapidly dropping. But from his blurred vision, he could see Naruto getting closer and closer. Just a little more…

"Orochimaru-samaaa!!!"

Horrified scream made Sasuke look up. Kabuto stared at the dying form of his master, then numbly turned his gaze to Sasuke. A single tear slipped down his cheek.

"…There's nothing left…"

Sasuke flinched as Kabuto slowly started to walk towards him.

"Orochimaru… sama… You killed him… Then… There is no reason for my existence, so… Revenge is the only thing… left…"

Kabuto softly laughed. It was a helpless, weak laughter.

"I'll kill you…"

* * *

-To Be Continued- 


	20. Eternity

The bright flame that danced between Kabuto and Sasuke was slowly dying out. As the flesh that was being burnt turned into ashes and as two lives that were once living flesh were extinguished, so did the fire slowly but surely burned itself out. When Kabuto slowly made his way towards Sasuke, Sasuke backed away. His broken rib poked at his lung, making it difficult to breath. Before Orochimaru died, he had also succeeded in twisting his ankle out of function, so it hurt when he tried to walk. But he pressed his hand against the wall behind him and heaved himself up. His eyes flickered to the other side of the room, where Naruto was slumped over on the corner. His normally tanned skin looked deathly pale, and even his lips were turning blue. Sasuke turned his eyes back to the fire. It somehow felt like the fire symbolized Naruto's life—it used to burn so vigorously, but it kept burning lower and lower, threatening to die out at any minute.

The fire went out.

Kabuto's eyes hardened. His face did not express sadness any longer. Fury filled his face, and he looked almost maniacally gleeful. Wordlessly he lunged towards Sasuke. His fist solidly connected with the side of Sasuke's face, who wasn't fast enough to dodge it. Injuries and lose of blood made his reaction time slow, and Sasuke was flung into the air. He failed in breaking the fall, and heavily landed on his side. He wasn't sure whether it was a coincidence or was deliberately done, but he had landed next to Naruto. Sasuke slowly and painfully picked himself up into a sitting position, glancing at Naruto's face. Naruto looked so small and helpless, wrapped up in Sasuke's robes, his face pale and ashen, his eyes only half-open and dull. Sasuke gently placed his hand against Naruto's face and shuddered at how cold the skin felt.

"Leave the dead to sleep," Kabuto said. His voice was quiet, almost a throaty whisper. "I'll help you join him right now."

"Naruto said…" Sasuke felt his eyes getting groggy. He wanted to sleep. He was tired. He was so very tired. He just wanted to close his eyes and rest. But… "Naruto said… We can live together. He said the story would end if we die, so… I have to do my best to live…"

"But he's not alive anymore," Kabuto replied. Sasuke wordlessly held his hand up against Naruto's nose and realized that Kabuto was right. Naruto wasn't breathing anymore. Sasuke lowered his face. When did he die? Hot tears ran across his cheeks.

"…Even so, I'll live. I won't run away. I promised Naruto. He said, 'I don't want you to die, Sasuke'. He said, 'Even if I have to be a corpse, I'll be with you on your road of life'. So… I have to live for both of us now."

"Do you really think you can live in a world without him?" Kabuto sounded gentle. "Are you really strong enough to be all alone in this world?"

Sasuke felt more tears spilling over his cheeks. He closed Naruto's eyes and kissed his eyelids, then his cold lips. Then he shakily stood up and faced Kabuto. "I'm not alone. Naruto won't leave me to be alone anymore. In my memories, Naruto will continue to live. As long as I continue to breath, his story will not be forgotten. Our story will continue to mingle into one if I can stay alive."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes. "…Then I'll end that story, the same way you have ended Orochimaru-sama's life."

Sharp needles thrown at his legs couldn't be avoided. Sasuke's legs gave out underneath him at the paralyzing poison contained in the needles, and Sasuke clumsily picked himself up again, heavily leaning against the wall. Kabuto slowly approached him. There was no need to chase him around anymore; Sasuke won't be able to run. Sasuke took a deep breath and started to concentrate energy in his body to form the _chidori_. The singing of birds began to echo in the empty, destroyed room as bright blue energy started to dance at Sasuke's fingertips. However, before he could properly gather the energy, he saw Kabuto taking out a short knife and throwing it towards him. Sasuke felt the knife digging into his side, and the energy he had gathered dissipated into the air. He no longer felt pain, but he did feel hot liquid spilling out of his body. More loss of blood. What difference did it make?   
"Why do you keep fighting?" Kabuto asked. He threw another knife at Sasuke. Sasuke couldn't dodge this one, either, and he felt it lodging at his other side.Kabuto reached Sasuke and clutched at his shirt collar, his other hand holding a knife against his throat. "It's over. It's all over for both of us. So why do you still insist on continuing?"

Sasuke's eyes landed on Naruto's prone figure, and he crookedly smiled. His smile strangely looked like Naruto's cocky smiles. "It isn't over."

_'When you have precious person you have to protect no matter what—'_

There was a strange prickling sensation in his eyes. Sasuke took a deep breath, then opened his eyes as widely as he can, concentrating all of his remaining energy in his eyes. It felt as if fire suddenly leapt to life in his eyes, and he could see everything with such miniscule details that it felt dizzy. He could even see the dust floating in front of him, the tiny loose threads of Kabuto's shirt, the little hemoglobin and platelet molecules in blood drops that dotted the floor.

His eyes met Kabuto's eyes, and Sasuke's smile widened. "_Mangekyou Sharingan_."

"Wha--?"

It felt as if the ground dropped out under his feet. Pleasant, floating sensation was accompanied by complete darkness, and Kabuto wildly looked around him in unknown fear. He frowned as a spot in the darkness gradually grew brighter and brighter. His frown turned into shock, then joy as he recognized the person who was standing amongst the light. Orochimaru was standing in front of him, bathed in light, dressed in pure white robe. He strangely looked young and small, perhaps even younger than Kabuto. His back was towards Kabuto, but he turned his head and met Kabuto's eyes. His eyes softened in a smile.

"Kabuto…" A delicate hand was held out towards him. "Come."

It didn't matter that this was obviously an illusion. Kabuto ran towards the light, embracing the smaller form into his arms, and at the same time the dark eyes of the one he loved the most turned red as the illusion shattered into tiny pieces and light surrounded everything; light was everywhere. There was so much light that he couldn't see anymore.

Kabuto reached his hand towards the sky. Then his lips curled up in a smile.

"…Thank you."

His body convulsed as he threw up blood, drenching both himself and Sasuke. His eyes rapidly dimmed as Sasuke pulled his hand out of Kabuto's chest, his hand covered with blood. His hand had penetrated through Kabuto's heart, killing him painlessly and almost immediately. With his bloodied hands, Sasuke gently eased Kabuto's eyes closed. He was childishly smiling. Sasuke couldn't help but smile back.

"Go find him. And don't lose him this time…"

He lowered Kabuto'scorpse to the floor, then tried to stand, only to fall down again. He paused to cough blood up. Blood clogging up his throat was making it hard to him to breath, and his broken rib bone kept widening the hole in his lung. Sasuke slowly crawled towards Naruto, then rested his head against Naruto's cold chest.

"Naruto… I kept my promise…"

Hot tears quickly drenched Naruto's clothing, which was already wet with blood.

"So why didn't you keep your promise? How could you die on me like this? I always broke the promise we made, but you always kept the promise. And now I finally kept my promise, but you…"

Sasuke lifted his tear-drenched face towards Naruto's face.

"I'll die at this rate, so I'll be coming to see you soon, Naruto. Let's never separate again in the other world. I finally realized what I really 'wanted', so… So next time, I won't let the story end like this. I'm sorry. I… Uuuu…"

Sasuke embraced Naruto as tightly as he can, trembling as he cried. He felt his body rapidly cooling, too. Soon, very soon, he would be able to meet Naruto again.

"…Who said the story ended?"

"…!!!"

Sasuke's mouth dropped open in shock. His widened black eyes met blue eyes, which had narrowed in laughter. His trembling fingers rested against Naruto's cheeks, then Sasuke lowered his head and started to cry even harder.

"You… idiot! Moron! Thought… You died… I was… I…"

"You're getting your snot all over me," Naruto affectionately said. His voice was a throaty whisper and he looked more dead then alive, but he was definitely living. Tears were also slowly running down his face, but his tone was light and playful. "How dare you to assumethat I wasdead without my permission? I don't die that easily. And I keep my words, unlike someone else around here that I can mention."

"You… weren't breathing, though?" Sasuke weakly asked, resting his forehead against Naruto's neck.

"I shut down most of my body functions to stay alive. I _was_ breathing; but just very weakly." Naruto lowered his head to rest his cheek against Sasuke's head. "Tomorrow, we'll write a new chapter of our lives."

"Together, right?" Sasuke asked. He still sounded anxious, looking at Naruto worriedly. Naruto nodded before closing his eyes.

"Always."

* * *

"I can't believe Orochimaru left us alive," Jiraiya muttered to himself as he ran towards Orochimaru's location with Shizune and Tsunade. Tsunade looked annoyed.

"You still don't get it, do you?"

"…?"

"Orochimaru… still liked you. He still thought of us as… well, friends, I guess. If the term is loosely used. He didn't want us to be involved. That's why he only paralyzed us before he left."

"Why is he still fighting against us, then? If he really wants to be comrades again, he should help us, shouldn't he?" Jiraiya asked. Tsunade stopped running. Jiraiya also stopped, looking at her questioningly.

"…But you won't return his feelings. We've all changed so much that he knew that we couldn't return to the time when we were comrades; when we were most important friends to each other. You know that as well."

"…" Jiraiya's eyes slightly flickered with unknown emotion before he turned away. "Let's hurry and get the brats before Orochimaru makes fur coat out of them."

"Raccoons are made more into hats than coats," a dry voice said. Jiraiya and Tusnade turned to the speaker. They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they had not noticed Gaara, but Shizune was helping Gaara with Sasuke and Naruto, their arm slung over each of his shoulders.

"Are they still alive?" Tsunade asked, immediately reaching for her medicine kit. Gaara nodded, then lowered his head.

"But barely. Please help them…"

Gaara's voice trailed off as he lost consciousness and fell into Shizune's arms, who yelped and tried to support combined weight of Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara. Jiraiya and Tsunade rushed forward to help her. Jiraiya grimaced at the physical condition of the three children. When he tried to pull Naruto's hand away from Sasuke's hand, Sasuke clutched at Naruto's hand harder, frowning. He couldn't even open his eyes, yet herefused tolet go of Naruto's hand.

"It's okay now," Jiraiya quietly said. "You don't have to be separated anymore. Let go of his hand. He'll give you his hand again if you ever need it."

There was a brief hesitation, then Sasuke allowed Naruto's hand to be pulled away.

* * *

The last of Naruto that Gaara saw as he left the hospital was of him laughing as Sasuke fussed over him. While adjusting Naruto'spillow and tucking him in,Sasuke accidentally pulled one of theIV chords out of his vein, and Naruto started to yell at Sasuke and hit him with a pillow. But they were both laughing, and they looked really happy. Gaara quietly left without saying goodbye.

There was a dull ache in his heart. The partner that he had been waiting for all his life already had someone else who was most important to him. He himself had loved Naruto even before they had met, simply because Naruto was someone who was to return his love. Naruto wasn't supposed to make him feel this lonely, to make him feel this much pain. But because he still loved Naruto, Gaara silently wished Naruto's happiness as he staggered home alone.

"Why are you looking so whipped? That's unlike you," a cheerful voice said. Gaara's expression did not change, but his stiff posture visibly relaxed.

"…_aneue_."

"Really, cubs are so troublesome," Gaara's brother-in-law added, crookedly smiling. "You okay? You sureit's okay for you tobe back from the hospital already?"

"I'm fine," Gaara said. His eyes met the eyes of the person who was shyly lingering behind his siblings.

"While you were running all over the place for someone else's mate, he worried about you and waited for you all this time, you know," Kankuro said, pushing Neji forward. "Geez, think about others' feelings once in a while, won't you? You made us worried, too."

Neji hesitated, then deeply bowed to Gaara. "Gaara-sama, welcome back home."

"Aa." Gaara started to walk towards Neji, then broke into a run. He flung himself into Neji's arms. Neji looked surprised, but pleasantly so, as he wrapped his arms around Gaara's smaller body. "…Sorry to make you worry."

"You've returned, so it's all right," Neji replied, smiling. "You're not hurt anywhere, Gaara-sama? Do you need anything? Are you hungry?"

"Get a room," Temari groaned. Neji had the decency to blush, while Gaara glared at his older sister. But his glare softened as Temari warmly smiled. "But that aside. Welcome back, little brother."

"Un, thank you…" Gaara shyly smiled. He was surrounded by people who came to greet him back home. Somehow he no longer felt lonely.

* * *

"Kakashi! It's been quite a long time since the last time I saw you!" Jiraiya said, waving a hand. Kakashi respectively inclined his head.

"Indeed. Good afternoon, Jiraiya-sama." He glanced at the bottle of alcohol Jiraiya held in his hand.

"For a foolish pupil of mine," Jiraiya cheerfully said, waving the bottle. "I thought I'll have a drink with him. It's been quite a while since I saw him,too."

"More then that, how have you two been doing?" Tsunade asked. She glanced at Iruka, who didn't seem very happy. "…If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask. First pregnancy is supposed to be the hardest, after all."

"Yes, it's a big trouble for Iruka-san, but I think winter pregnancy is better than summer pregnancy. Isn't that right, darling?" Kakashi asked, wrapping his arms around Iruka's stomach, which was starting to show that he was with Kakashi's child. Iruka blushed and pushed him away.

"Where you touching me, and what do you mean by 'darling', Kakashi-san?!"

Kakashi widely grinned. "Don't be so shy; we're mates, after all."

"Gaaaah! So why are you always like that, Kakashi-san!!!"

Tsunade tugged at Jiraiya, who was affectionately watching the couple. "We should get going."

Jiraiya nodded and turned to the two. "Have pretty, healthy babies, you two."

While Iruka did his best to look like a ripe tomato, Kakashi gleefullyreplied, "Thank you. You two have a safe trip."

Leaving the two, Tsunade and Jiraiya walked in silence for few hours before they stopped at a deeper part of the forest. There were two graves, side by side, and in front ofthe tombstones were pastel-colored bouquets of cosmos. Two sets of footsteps could be seen around the graves.

"It seems that your son and his mate came to visit before us, hm?" Jiraiya asked, smiling down at the grave of his former student. "I came to have a drink with you and your spouse. So how did you two find your new son-in-law? A fox and a wolf—quite a couple that thosetwo make, don't you think?"

* * *

Dai 20 Wa: -Eternity- Ookami to Kitsune no Monogatari

* * *

There is a legend about a fox and a wolf. Meeting under different circumstances, the two fell in love and decided to spend the rest of their lives together as each other's constant companion. There were many things that hindered the two's happiness, but they did not give up. No matter what happened, they wanted to continue their tale together, as 'The Legend of Wolf and Fox', not just a story of one of them. That was why they were able to become strong. That was why they did their best to live.

"Ah, but the legend is not over yet. You shouldn't use the past tense."

A young boy's dark blue eyes narrowed in amusement, his lips curling up in a smile. He held up his finger in front of his lips.

"We're still alive. We're still going to walk down the path of life together. The 'present' that we live in right now is the most important thing to us, because we can live that 'present' together. Crossing the boundaries of time and space, to create amiracle called 'meeting' each other, we'll now become a legend together."

He brushed his long, bluish-black hair away from his eyes, smiling even more widely. His canines slightly showed.

"Actually, the legend is just starting! We've just started! So…"

He turned away, but one ofhis hand was outstretched.

"If you dare, come with us. Be part of our legend, too. Now come."

His laughter was quickly swept away by the wind.

"After all, you're alive right now, aren't you?"

* * *

-The End-

Thank you for following me through to the end of this story. I'm sure Sasuke and Naruto found 'happy ending' at the end of their journey down the road of life together, and surely their 'legend' was long and filled with happiness at just being able to be together. Right now they're shining more brilliantly than anyone else, because they were strong enough to grasp the 'present' with their own hands. Let's all wipe our tears away, strongly stand up, and bravely step into the 'present', too.

It was a lot of fun for me to write stories. When I met those who shared my interest and were kind enough to encourage me with the stories I was writing, I was truly happy. But I'm a bit tired right now. I do not have strength to write much, so there won't be a long-chaptered story after this. It isn't that I'll completely stop writing; I'll write one-shots and such. But a long project is out of the question for now.

I'll be solely concentrating on drawing fan comics and working on my website from now on. Thank you for all the support uptil now. I'll meet you again later, and hopefully with a smiling face at that time. Please always be happy. (bows)


End file.
